


The Intern

by amy_lupin



Series: The Intern [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationship elements, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Extremely Jealous/Possessive Arthur, Inexperienced Merlin, Jealous/Possessive Arthur, M/M, Naive Merlin, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:32:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 274,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_lupin/pseuds/amy_lupin
Summary: Recently appointed as Pendragon Consulting’s director, the last thing Arthur wanted was to have an intern entrusted under his responsibility.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MattBPMalfoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MattBPMalfoy/gifts).



> **Dedication:** this fic was originally written in portuguese as a birthday gift for my dear friend Matt, although when he asked to be given a fic, he probably expected a oneshot, not a monster of 250.000 words! Matt, without you this fic would never have happened. In fact, without you I probably would never have even known about merthur! There’s too much of you in here, many ideas, many plots, many words. It wouldn’t be fair not to credit you for that. Besides, you are the pickiest birthday boy I had the pleasure of gifting! I hope it was worth for you, because it certainly was for me!
> 
> Merlin fans, it is no accident that you’ll find many scenes from the series adapted to this universe, as well as some details about the main actors (Bradley’s passion for football, for example) and even some snippets from the video diaries starring Bradley James and Colin Morgan. Sometimes I find it hard to extricate the actors from the characters, so I mostly don’t even try.
> 
> I guess I should warn you that I’ve never been to London (I’ve never left Brazil, actually) and I have no clue about England’s law of internship - if there is any -, so I relied to my knowledge of Brazilian’s laws on the matter. I hope it’s no absurd to you and I’m open to elucidations, if you have them. Anyway, I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing it!
> 
> Thank you **Lexi** for the careful beta reading and for kindly pointing out a better way of saying things. All remaining errors are my own.

**Prologue**

 

Arthur said a quiet prayer while facing the luminous display above the elevator’s door. The lift had already stopped at three floors now and the damn thing just wasn’t going fast enough. When number five was replaced by six, the lift slowed down again and Arthur cursed. The door opened, revealing a woman entertained by her mobile phone. As soon as she started entering the lift, all it took was a quick glance his way and she gave a strangled squeak, turning back around and mumbling about having forgotten something.

Arthur rolled his eyes and pressed number seven repeatedly until the door closed again. He sighed and knocked the back of his head against the mirror behind him, immediately regretting it when a throbbing pain spread across his skull. As soon as the door opened again, Arthur took long steps out, forcing the small group of people gathered at the lobby to make room for his passing through.

“Hey, Arthur-”

“Not now, Elyan” Arthur lifted his hand in a cue to stop following him, continuing his way without looking back.

“Wow, someone is in a foul mood today.”

"So I'm guessing the foul mood means a hangover?" asked Gwaine’s unmistakable voice. “Hey, Arthur! Good morning for you too!”

Arthur ignored them and walked on, congratulating himself for resisting the impulse of flipping the bird to his friends. Gwaine was cheating, there was no other explanation. Arthur couldn’t figure out what he did to sound so blissful and relaxed after almost passing out from drinking, the previous night. Whatever it was, it could only be illegal. Gwaine got easily pissed - unlike Arthur, who was more resistant to alcohol -, but hardly got hangover.

However, one thing was certain, Arthur had found a very plausible reason for appointing fridays as official happy-hour day, from now on, and he swore to himself that he would never be dragged to the pub on a wednesday again.

Once he entered the CRM¹ room, Arthur was welcomed with a shriek from the receptionist, who dropped the pen and notebook she was holding and lifted her hand to cover the headset’s microphone in a pointless attempt to save the person at the other end from temporary hearing loss.

“Mr. Pendragon-”

“Five minutes, Miss Edinger. Give me five minutes, will you? And try not to leave our clients deaf in the meantime.”

“Yes, sir” the girl almost whispered back.

Arthur entered his office without bothering to acknowledge anyone and closed the door behind him, once again cursing the person who had the unfortunate idea of making this section of walls transparent glass. There was no questioning the argument that it demonstrated transparency before the company employees and Uther usually defended that was very effective when it came to keeping the staff motivated – in this case ** _,_** working under the constant pressure of being monitored by their director. But then, that also meant that Arthur couldn’t loosen his tie nor put his feet on the table, amongst other things. Basically, he had no privacy whatsoever.

Arthur stripped off his jacket and sat at his ergonomically correct chair - no reclining chairs were allowed if he didn’t intent for his spine to pay the price in the near future, as clarified the occupational doctor before confiscating his old seat -, propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward, pressing his temple, pretending to read the papers on the keyboard whilst actually closing his eyes and breathing slowly and deeply, trying to convince the aspirin he took that morning to kick in.

“Arthur, my dearest brother” he startled to hear the exaggeratedly loud and obscenely merry voice of his sister, who stared at him from the door like a supermodel posing for paparazzi. “I’m glad you arrived already! I was wondering if you would bother to come at all, after last night-”

“Morgana” Arthur said and waited while the echo slowly faded away inside his cranium. “Would you be so kind as to speak quietly, please?”

“Oh, poor little brother” she pouted as if talking to an infant. “Are you uncomfortable? If you’d like, I could come back some other time…”

“What do you want, Morgana?” Arthur asked crossly. Sometimes the best way to deal with Morgana was to give her want she wanted, quick and painlessly. Or almost.

“You don’t have to be rude” Morgana stated, closing the door and taking a seat in front of his desk like a queen sitting in her throne. “Is this how you treat the person who lied to her own father to cover your ass and endured a whole evening of complaints and moral lessons while you fooled around with your friends?”

Arthur grimaced. What was he thinking when he asked a favor from Morgana, of all people? She would probably spend the whole week bragging about Arthur owing her one, torturing him with the possibilities of making him pay for that and only being satisfied after humiliating him in front of everybody. Besides, she still didn’t forgive him for sending Gwaine to her department, albeit temporarily.

Arthur sighed and tried again. “What can I help you with, dearest sister?” he enquired, forcing a smile upon his own face.

Morgana flickered her eyelashes angelically and Arthur’s smile died out as he prepared himself for the blow.

“Why, I just wanted to know how you’ve been doing” she faked innocence and Arthur narrowed his eyes while mentally counting: three… two… one… “Oh, and, of course, before I forget” she went on and Arthur rolled his eyes as Morgana rummaged through the documents of the file she carried with her, leaning into the table and pointing with a red polished nail. “I need you to sign here. In three counterparts.”

Arthur blinked repeatedly to make sure he was reading it right. “Supervisor…? What the hell is this, Morgana?” he fetched the documents, leafing through it.

“It’s the contract of your newest intern!” she placidly sat down again.

“I did not ask for an intern…”

“But you could make good use of one. This place is a mess” Morgana looked around in such a way that reminded him of Uther and Arthur had to restrain himself from shuddering. “Honestly, Arthur, darling, I don’t know how you can work like this.”

“There’s no mess in here. I know exactly where to find my stuff.”

“Oh, really? Then why haven’t you handed me the tax coupon of your business lunch with Mr. Odin?”

Arthur just grunted, pretending to carefully examine the document’s content.

“That’s what I thought” Morgana scoffed. “You know you won't receive a refund until you do, right?”

Actually, Arthur didn’t remember that damned coupon until Morgana mentioned it. Surely, he took Mr. Odin to one of the fanciest London’s restaurants to keep him well-disposed until the contract was securely signed, but Arthur already spent greater fortunes with minor whimsies such as the yacht he enjoyed once a year, at most, and the absurd amount of Xbox games he didn’t even have the time to play.

“You know what? Screw this. What difference does it make? I don’t need refund and I don’t need an intern either. I’m already surrounded by incompetent people, thank you very much.”

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear, Arthur” Morgana’s smile faded and her voice became dangerously low. “I’m not asking you what you wish for. I’m saying you should sign the document.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you owe me one” she shrugged.

Arthur looked at her through narrowed eyes. This easy? There has to be something else to it, some trick or trap.

“Why me?” Arthur inquired suspiciously. “You've always done it all on your own” he gestured vaguely to the paperwork on his desk.

“Of course” it was Morgana’s turn to roll her eyes. “I always took responsibility for the company’s interns, always put my signature on their activity reports, assuring that everything was well within standards. And all the while you kept ordering them to run the most absurd errands like, oh, I don’t know, doing your laundry or going to Starbucks because the kitchen staff’s tea isn’t good enough for you!”

Arthur stared at her for long minutes, trying and failing to see the logic in her argument. “And what are interns for, besides that?”

Morgana pressed her nose bridge and shut her eyes for a moment, her lips moving in a silent prayer. “Arthur, you know what repercussions there can be if, by any chance, one of them has an accident while doing this kind of outside work? And that isn’t all of it! They could sue the company for performing duties not covered by their contract and who do you think would be liable in case it happens?” She pointed to herself. “So that’s why, from now on, you’ll have your own intern, which will stay exclusively at the disposal of the CRM and entirely under your responsibility.”

Arthur twitched his lip scornfully, lowering his eyes to the spot Morgana pointed on the contract which read ‘Internship Supervisor: Arthur Pendragon’.

“All I have to do is sign here?” he asked and Morgana pressed her lips in a thin line.

“For now, yes, it is. I already arranged all the initial paperwork, but you’ll have to periodically compile a report on his activities for him to present at college.”

Arthur frowned, flicking through the file one last time. “Does that mean you already choose the applicant?”

“Yes.”

“And why didn’t you call me for the triage?” Arthur complained. “If it’s my intern, wouldn’t it be right for me to at least select which one better fits the… requirements?”

Morgana sneered. “Now, Arthur, we both know what kind of requirements you’d stick to.”

“What are you implying by that?” Arthur narrowed his eyes. “I’ve never got involved with an intern!”

“Are you sure?” Morgana pretended to consider it. “Because I’m quite sure I remember some Vivian girl…”

“Hey, I was seventeen!” Arthur defended himself, outraged. “You got involved with your piano tutor when you were sixteen and I don’t throw it in your face whenever I can, do I?”

“You just did” she mocked.

Arthur stared at the document in his hands again. “Merlin? What kind of name is this?”

“And what difference does it make?” Morgana asked in a dignified tone. “To me, he seemed competent and clever enough, if you must know.”

But Arthur didn’t must nor want to know, so he kept reading. “Eighteen years old? Do I look like a babysitter to you?”

“Of course not, sweetie. If the boy needed a babysitter, you would be the least qualified for the job.”

“Why so young? He must have just entered college! No, I’m sorry Morgana” he threw the file back at the table. “If you want me to take responsibility for an intern, you’ll have to do better than that.”

“First of all” Morgana began in her most flat tone. “If you had bothered to actually read the contract, you’d know he is in the fourth semester of Economics. He finished high school at sixteen, with impeccable grades and excellent recommendations from his teachers and was accepted by Cambridge and Oxford, but opted for UCL. He made some excuses, but I suspect his decision was based in financial matters, since his mother lives here in London.”

In his mind, Arthur formed the image of this skinny, gangly boy, with thick glasses and braces, reciting the previous day’s stock prices. Merlin was the youngest of five brothers, all the others named after the Beatles. His mother probably didn’t anticipated a fifth son and, in a moment of despair, chose the most uncommon name she could think of. The boy grew up thinking he was special and somehow ended up as the social project of some unfortunate UCL teacher.

That sounded like something Morgana would do.

“Secondly” she continued, steadfast. “You are in no condition to bargain. If you don’t want me to call our father immediately to clarify some misunderstandings, you better put that pen to good use” she pointed her mobile at him like a weapon.

“It’s always a pleasure doing business with you, Morgana” Arthur forced a wry smile and fetched his pen from his breast pocket.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹CRM: Customer Relationship Management
> 
> Buckle up and get comfortable cause it’ll be a long, long ride. This fic is 27 chapters long, plus Prologue and Epilogue, and is currently been translated to English (reeeeeally slowly) by me.
> 
> Comments are always welcome!


	2. Part 1 - Chapter 1

_ARTHUR: Sometimes you puzzle me._

_MERLIN: You never fathomed me out?_

_ARTHUR: No._

_MERLIN: I always thought if things had been different, we'd've been good friends._

_ARTHUR: Yeah._

_MERLIN: That's if you hadn't been such an arrogant, pompous, dollop head._

_(Transcript from Merlin - BBC, Episode 4x01)_

 

**Part One**

**Chapter 1**

**Day one**

Merlin removed the earphones¹ and put them safely in his backpack. He checked his mobile one last time. There was only one message from Will.

‘Send my love to your boss!’

Merlin rolled his eyes. Will had a massive crush on Morgana Pendragon that bordered on illness since she had attended a fundraising party held in his school, a couple of years before. At the time, Merlin had already entered college, but Will spent several weeks yakking about how Morgana was the prettiest woman to ever walk the Earth. He also followed her on every possible social media until he was blocked after some particularly explicit messages. Then he started registering new usernames to follow her and he promised to behave from then on, but somehow he always ended up blocked again.

‘I already told you she is not my boss!’ Merlin replied and placed his calls on mute before tucking his phone in his bag.

Merlin took a deep breath and entered the Pendragon Consulting’s building. He smiled to the guard at the entrance, who nodded back briefly. He passed straight through reception, as Morgana instructed, and carried on to the lift, pressing number seven.

Terrifying first impressions aside, Morgana seemed to be a very thoughtful person. She phoned him the previous week to inform him, he would be starting his internship on Monday and texted him that morning to apologize for not being able to welcome him on his first day. He was supposed to show up at the Customer Relationship Management’s division, on the seventh floor, and ask for the External Relation’s Director who, apparently, would be his supervisor.

Merlin experienced some apprehension mixed with relief at the news. On one hand, Morgana was very friendly over the recruitment, but something in the way she spoke and moved made him suspect that she was very hard to cope with on a daily basis. On the other hand, if the surname was any indication, Arthur Pendragon could very much be a male version of her. Maybe even worse.

Gaius probably knew the guy, but Merlin thought better not to ask him, if not for any other reason, because his godfather was still upset at Merlin for not anticipating his decision to apply for an internship opening. Not that Gaius didn’t support it. After all, he couldn’t pay that much in his apothecary and he always felt guilty for making Merlin work until later in the evening when he could be studying or having fun with his college friend, as he kept saying. To Merlin it didn’t make any difference. He needed the money to assist his mother with the bills and could afford to lose a few hours of sleep to study. As for having fun, there would be plenty of time for that later, when he graduated.

Besides all that, Merlin would rather form his own opinions about other people, anyway.

He was excited with the prospect of change. Even though he liked being close to his godfather, working on the apothecary was boring and unchallenging. At Pendragon Consulting he would finally be able to put his knowledge into practice, aside from meeting people within his area and maybe even get hired by the end of his contract.

Merlin took a deep breath when the lift slowed down and tucked his thumbs under his backpack’s straps as he emerged in the lobby. He saluted some people passing through him, most of them seemed so surprised by the act they hadn't even had the time to answer before Merlin was too far ahead, reading the identification tags by the doors until he found the one he was looking for.

He knocked twice, just to make sure, and got in. No one seemed to notice him. The room was wide and noisy, packed full of chaotic partitioned desks, people talking on the phone while staring unblinkingly at their computer screen or typing passcodes at the giant printer’s keyboard.

“Can I help you?” asked a woman with brown eyes, chocolate skin and a kind smile. She carried a file under one arm and fiddled with her necklace’s pendant.

“Hi! My name is Merlin Ermys” he held out his hand, returning the smile.

“Oh, right! Morgana told me all about you. Welcome to Pendragon Consulting!” she shook his hand. “My name is Guinevere Keller, but you can call me Gwen. I’m responsible for the financial reviewing of the company’s projects.”

Merlin was about to say that that was actually his area when he got interrupted by someone.

“Gwen!” called the girl who could only be the telephone operator, holding the headset speaker and handling a device lit with shimmering lights. “It’s Mrs. Klein. She said she needs to speak with you urgently.”

“Oh, yes, of course! Merlin, I’m sorry” Gwen excused herself, addressing the operator while walking backwards. “Sefa, tell Arthur Mr. Emrys is here, okay?”

“Sure” the operator agreed, offering Merlin a shy smile. “I just transferred a call to Mr. Pendragon… Why don’t you hold on a bit here, Mr. Emrys? It’ll be just a moment” she pointed to a couch next to an office made of glass walls, where a man in business attire was pacing around like a caged lion - or a shark in a fish tank - talking and gesturing exasperatedly. The daylight filtering through the windows provided a view of his outline, the large shoulders under the white dress shirt and the sunshine on his blond hair.

“You can call me Merlin” he said taking the bag off his shoulders, stripping his coat off and getting comfortable on the couch. “Sefa, right?”

She answered with a curt nod. Sefa seemed to be only a bit older than him, while most of the staff looked about thirty or above.

“How many people work in this division?”

“Eighteen” she said. “But one is on vacation, other is lent to the HR department and the manager is on health and safety leave. He broke his elbow skiing” she pulled a face and Merlin felt sympathetic. “Now that you joined us, we’re nineteen!”

“You didn’t have an intern before?” Merlin figured by Sefa’s thrilled tone.

“Oh, no, no. Not in this division. There was always someone from Accountancy or HR helping with one thing or another, but never one just ours. Well, at least since I've been here.”

“And how long-” Merlin started to ask, but the sound of the glass door being pushed open made him shut up, startled. The shark man crossed the room in two large steps and stopped right in front of the operator’s counter desk, making her wince like a trapped seal.

“Miss Edinger” the man said between clenched teeth. “Please help me remember. Who did you say it was on the phone?”

Merlin soon noticed Pendragon family’s genetics could be easily described as exceptional. The man was muscular, but not exaggeratedly and was about thirty years old, therefore much older than Merlin used to admire, but Merlin found it hard not to feel attracted by him, like any gay guy probably would.

Sefa mumbled something incomprehensible in response.

“Use your mouth, woman! Who was it on the phone?” the man raised his voice just enough for her to shrink even more.

“… Morschel” replied Sefa in a small voice. “Sir.”

The man moved his jaw back and forth as if carefully picking the words.

“Miss Edinger, there is a slight difference between Mr. as Mrs. Morschel and it isn’t just the pronoun, which you seem incapable of pronouncing intelligibly. Mrs. Morschel is a very vain woman, who likes to have her ego constantly stroked, while Mr. Morschel is a very, very jealous man. Now, can you imagine what would happen if I answered a call believing it’s from Mrs. Morschel and finding out, the worst possible way, that it is in fact Mr. Morschel on the other end?” at the end of his speech, he wasn’t yelling but the effect was similar in the suddenly silent room. All the noise had ceased, with the exception of the printer, that kept spitting out papers.

“I’m s-sorry, s-sir” Sefa stuttered

“You’re sorry?” the man continued, leaning even more over the counter of the desk, his shoulder muscles protruding under the shirt. Merlin’s eyes travelled downwards on their own will and he swallowed hard. It was amazing what tailored trousers could do to someone’s bottom, but maybe the credit should not be entirely contributed to the trousers, in this particular case. “All you’re paid to do is answer the phone! After all this time, it was only to be expected that you could at least do that right!”

That made Merlin get up, spurred into action. He should have guessed no one could be that handsome without being an asshole. Going against that principle was like challenging the laws of nature.

“She already apologized” Merlin said, calling the man’s attention to himself. Merlin raised his hands in a peace offering. “It was a mistake. These kinds of things happen, my friend.”

The surprise on the man’s face was quickly replaced by annoyance.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m Mer-” Merlin was about to offer his hand to be shaken when he was cut in the middle of his self-introduction.

“So I don’t know you. Yet you called me friend.”

“Oh, that was my mistake” Merlin amended, incapable of holding back anymore. If that man couldn’t accept truce, that it was better to meet fire with fire. “I'd never be friends with such an ass.”

The man opened his mouth in shocked outrage. This time he turned his whole body towards Merlin’s direction, blue eyes sparkling, forgetting Sefa for a moment. “What did you call me?”

“I said you’re an ass” Merlin repeated, unstoppable. There was a warning sign ringing somewhere inside his mind, but he readily ignored it. “After all, none of this would have happened if you cared to treat your client’s wife with due respect.”

“How dare you… What the… Do you know who you’re talking to, kid?”

The redness in the man’s face should have made Merlin think before speaking his mind. But now that he started, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He needed the money, but he wouldn’t sit and watch while someone was humiliated right in front of him, even if it meant he would have his internship contract ended in his first day.

“Oh, I know who you are. You are a pompous, arrogant prat who needs to humiliate others in order to prove yourself better than them.”

The man’s eyes became narrow gaps and he measured Merlin from toe to head, crossing his arms. “What’s your name again?”

“Merlin” he informed, lifting his chin to show exactly how unimpressed he was with all that power display. “Merlin Emrys.”

“Of course” the man smiled unpleasantly. “So, Merlin, if you feel that sorry for Miss. Edinger, why don’t you take her place?” Sefa squeaked again at that and Merlin blinked a few times. “After all, you've already showed yourself to be a very articulate person” the man carried on,  daring Merlin to disagree with him.

Merlin cleared his throat, avoiding the people stretching their necks above the partitions, watching out for every detail of the scene before them. “I’m not sure if my contract covers that kind of activity…”

“I couldn’t care less to what your contract says, boy. If you want to be an intern in here you’ll do as I say, do you understand?”

Well, he had to admit that answering to some calls was better than being kicked out the door. And a little bit of tension surely made things more challenging. He would have to deal with the gigantic ego of that asshole, but that was nothing some perseverance wouldn’t solve. Keeping his eyes fixed on the man’s, Merlin bowed slightly. “As you wish, My Lord.”

For one second, Merlin thought the man was fighting back a smile. But then he ruled out the possibility in the next moment.

“You can call me Mr. Pendragon” he shrugged and turned back to Sefa. “Miss Edinger, pack your things and stop by the HR before you leave.”

That said, Arthur Pendragon got back to his office.

“Well, that was interesting” said Gwen, having approached Merlin without him noticing. Another woman reached out to try and calm Sefa down, helping her collecting her stuff, murmuring comforting words while she sobbed.

“You probably meant to say stupid” Merlin scratched his nape, embarrassed. “I assure you I’m not like this most of the time. It’s just that this guy really got on my nerves and-”

“Oh, I know exactly how you feel, believe me” she ensured him, grinning. “Most of the time I wish I could tell him to take a hike.”

“But you’re too polite to say it, aren’t you?” Merlin sighed, looking worriedly to Sefa, who grabbed her purse tightly and leaned on the other woman as she left the room. “This is so unfair! She could easily sue him for psychological harassment. In fact, I hope she does exactly that.”

Gwen chuckled. “I like you!” she stated, moving on to the now vacant desk. “But I hope Arthur didn’t make you give up on staying.”

Merlin sighed again furrowing his brow at the telephone set. There was a dozen flashing lights twinkling like a christmas tree. “I probably would, if I didn’t need the money” he said, then thought better of it. “Or maybe not. After all, someone's got to teach this jerk a lesson” he pointed to the glass office with his thumb.

“Way to go! Besides, I know it is hard to imagine right now, but Arthur isn’t a complete idiot most of the time.”

“Impossible to imagine, I’d say” Merlin took a deep breath. “Now, how the hell does this thing work?” he asked, already putting the headset on.

“Oh, it’s not as complicated as it seems” Gwen said and began to show the phone’s functions and the list of branches.

.M.

Arthur picked the phone before the first ring was finished. “What?” he inquired, charging the word with the maximum level of animosity.

“Um…” came Merlin’s deep voice and Arthur hung up.

He struggled not to smirk as he saw, from the corner of his eye, Merlin’s shoulders tensing before he shook his head. Arthur stretched as best as he could in his chair, pleased with himself. As the initial annoyance by the boy’s impertinence faded off, Arthur started to think that maybe this internship thing wasn’t going to be that bad. At least he could boss the kid around as he pleased, without having to share him with other departments or answer to Morgana. Arthur made a mental note to thank his sister for the excellent idea of handing him an intern. That would certainly teach her a lesson. Merlin was spirited, surely, but it would be fun to watch him kicking and huffing before surrendering and submitting to his will.

When the phone rang again, Arthur took his time before answering, stretching out his neck and turning it to one side, then the other, feeling the joints crack pleasantly. At the fifth ring, he picked the phone.

“Are you cutting to the chase or are you going to keep wasting my time?”

“I have this Agravaine de Bois in line” Merlin pronounced slowly, articulating each syllable carefully. Arthur was too busy grunting and rubbing his eyes to react to the teasing. When he gave no response, Merlin kept going. “He introduced himself as your uncle and became very upset when I insisted on getting his full name. Well, thinking about it, I’d be upset too if I had a name like that-”

“Merlin?”

“-Yes?”

“Shut up.”

“But-”

“I’m not in the mood to talk to my uncle right now” Arthur shortened.

The line became silent for long seconds and Arthur spun in his chair to face him, arching an eyebrow. Merlin had his lips tight in a firm line, a murderous look in his face.

“Are you in the mood to talk to anyone today, Mr. Pendragon?”

“Maybe” Arthur shrugged.

“What should I tell your uncle?”

“Do I care?”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed. “Ok, fine, I think I can figure something out” and with that he hung up before Arthur could say anything.

When Arthur tried to return the call, Merlin ignored him. Arthur gestured for him to pick up, but Merlin merely pointed to the headset, showing that he was otherwise busy. Arthur kept insisting until he finally answered.

“What the hell did you tell my uncle?”

“That you’re unable to talk, since your quick setting beauty cream makes it hard to understand what you’re saying.”

“You-”

“I just said you were attending a meeting” Merlin rolled his eyes. “Now if you excuse me, I have another five calls to get to” the line went dead before Arthur could reply.

Arthur tried to focus on his work, but it showed almost impossible when his eyes kept getting drawn by the kid. He didn’t seem shaken by the unexpected assignment. Quite the contrary, all it took was a brief explanation by Gwen and he already dismissed her, smiling as he chatted with the callers and Arthur could almost hear the smile in his voice. For some reason, suddenly Arthur wasn’t having fun anymore. He picked up the phone and called the switchboard.

“Yes?” Merlin answered lightly.

“What time do you arrive tomorrow?”

“One in the afternoon? As stipulated on my contract which, by the way, you signed to.”

“Before you come, stop by Starbucks and bring me an Earl Gray.”

“What?” Merlin asked after a brief pause. “How do you-”

“Traditional” Arthur carried on, pretending not to notice his astonishment. “Large.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Arthur turned to stare at him through the glass, defiantly arching one eyebrow.

“Right” Merlin said slowly and then added on, sarcastically. “Anything else?”

“Some ginger cookies would be nice.”

Merlin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His lips moved but no sound came of it.

“I can read your lips.”

“Do I look like I care?” Merlin retorted. “Look, when I asked if you wanted something else, I was being sarcastic, if you didn’t get-“

“Alright, you can buy yourself a chocolate coin. Or a lollipop, if you prefer” Arthur continued teasing, his mood improving exponentially to each single frustration sound Merlin issued.

“In this case, I’ll arrive around one and a half.”

“Why?” Arthur made sure of sounding indignant. “You come straight from UCL, right? There’s a Starbucks right on the way!”

“Yet, I’ll have to take the tube, get off by there, get back to the tube…  These things take time, you know? Plus, I’ll need some money.”

“There’s a credit card on the second drawer” Arthur watched as he checked it. “Just make sure you bring the tax coupon or you’ll have to answer to Morgana personally.”

“Seriously? You make the company pay for your tea?”

“Not that it’s concerns you, intern, but I’m one of the company stockholders, if you didn’t realize it yet. I’m the one who pays your salary, have you forgotten?”

“Not even for one second.”

“Now get back to work.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

Feeling lighter, Arthur refocused on the reports he had to review until his phone rang again.

“What is it now?”

“Arthur” the sound of Uther’s voice made Arthur lose his feat balance and fall forward, knocking down his pen and suppressing a curse.

“Father” he said respectfully. “I’m sorry, I thought it was… Gwaine” he amended quickly.

“How come you dismissed the operator?” Uther said in his most icy and rigid tone. “I thought I made it clear last time that it’s not your place to make these kind of decisions.”

Apparently, Morgana already spilled the beans.

“Father, I tried. For months, I swear I tried. But the girl doesn’t even know how to talk properly. One moment she is squeaking like a guinea pig, the other she is whispering!”

“You should have informed Morgana and left her to do the formalities.”

“And who said I didn’t do exactly that?” Arthur defended himself. Every time he brought the subject with his sister, she disregarded it, arguing that she was already overloaded and didn’t have the time to substitute the operator, even though all she had to do was call the third-part company and ask for replacement.

Even so, now that the anger had subsided, Arthur started to question his own drastic reaction. He committed himself to call the company and make sure Edinger wasn’t sacked. Maybe she would have better luck in some other firm, although Arthur honestly hoped she would find a different occupation to which she was better qualified.

Uther breathed audibly. “Well, you’ll have to work this out with your sister” he stated, as if he didn’t just meddle in the matter. “Anyway, this is not what I called you for. Morgana told me what happened last week.”

“Oh, sure” Arthur cursed himself. He forgot to ask his sister what excuse she made to Uther to justify his absence at dinner. When it came to Morgana, it could have been anything. Anything, really. To be on the safe side, he remained silent.

“I’m sorry about your... friend” Uther said gravely.

“Oh… right” Arthur reacted carefully, pressing his nose bridge and thinking what the hell?

“Morgana told me about her previous… health condition” Uther resumed after another heavy silence and Arthur held his breath, without a clue what to say next. “Arthur, are you all right? It must have been a shock to you.”

“Yeah” Arthur said hurriedly and then thought better about it. “I mean, I’m not doing very well, actually. I’m feeling quite shaken.”

“I can imagine. I really hope you used protection, Arthur. AIDS is not something you joke about.”

Fucking hell!

Morgana was seriously going to pay for this.

“Don’t worry about that” Arthur said through gritted teeth. “I can assure you Morgana runs more health risk at the moment than I do, right now.”

“Pardon?” Uther sounded confused.

“Nothing” Arthur warranted. “Listen, father, I don’t feel like talking about that so soon, all right? And I have to finish revising a proposal within the day.”

As expected, Uther took the first opportunity to close the matter. As soon as he hung up, Arthur breathed deeply to calm down. And that’s when he heard the laughing outside his office.

There was someone leaning against the operator’s counter desk, saying something that made Merlin guffaw, folded in the middle, his face contorted in genuine amusement. The newcomer had his back on Arthur, but he could easily recognize that useless ass, even in a crowd.

In the next second, Arthur found himself crossing the office in wide strides, reaching for the door and opening it. “Gwaine!” he called, making the both of them look, Merlin struggling to keep a straight face and Gwaine seeming extremely pleased with himself.

“Hey, Princess, when were you going to introduce me to Merlin here?”

The answer to that question would be never, obviously. But Arthur found it best to ignore it. “Gwaine, stop harassing my intern and come here at once.”

“Be right back, Merlin” Gwaine winked at Merlin, who smiled and got his thumbs up, answering whomever was at the other end of the line with a polite “Pendragon Consulting, good afternoon…”

Once inside Arthur’s office, Gwaine whistled as he took a seat in front of his desk, turning his upper body so that he could continue facing Merlin through the glass. “Arthur, you have no idea how lucky you are” he shook his head thoughtfully.

“Gwaine” Arthur warned and, when the other just muttered something without looking at him, he repeated loudly. “Gwaine!”

“What is it?” Gwaine woke up from his daydream, finally turning his way.

“That’s what I should be asking you. I assume you didn’t come here just to drool all over my intern” Arthur retorted and maybe he placed greater emphasis than necessary on the word ‘my’.

“No, but that’s only because I didn’t know about him, or else I’d have come sooner. Where did you find him?”

Merlin had been selected by the very division to which Gwaine was currently assigned and the fact that he didn’t know a thing meant Morgana was keeping him far away from the interns. His sister could be a wicked witch at times, but she was no fool.

“It doesn’t matter how he ended up here, the only thing that matters is that I want you to stay the hell away from him.”

“Why would I do that?” Gwaine questioned back, his voice lazy and velvet-like. “He is the most adorable thing that has ever set foot at this firm!”

“Are you serious?” momentarily brushing aside his urge to strangle him, Arthur frowned and turned to look at Merlin, trying to see him through the deviant eyes of his friend, even though that wasn’t his thing.

“Look at that smile!” Gwaine’s voice became husky. “His prominent cheekbones… How about that mouth, then? Those lips were definitely made for kissing.”

Arthur tilted his head, considering it. Merlin had really plumpy lips, his mouth well shaped. The way he thrust his lower lip forward sometimes, while speaking, drew even more attention to it.

“He's too skinny!” Arthur ended up saying, compelled to point out some flaw.

“You’ll never really know until you see him naked” Gwaine refuted and Arthur shook his head to dissolve the mental image, diverting his eyes when Merlin looked his way.

“How about those floppy ears?” Arthur asked and Gwaine shrugged.

“It gives you something to grab, aside from the hair” he mimicked pulling something towards his groin back and forth and threw his head back, moaning shamelessly.

“Gwaine!” Arthur tossed his stapler at his friend, who ducked, chuckling. Arthur turned his head in time to see Merlin turning away, his cheeks slightly rosy. “He's just a kid, you pervert!”

“If he’s of legal age, he’s old enough” Gwaine said unworriedly. “When are you going to take me out of that den and bring me back to paradise?”

“If you keep behaving like this, possibly…” Arthur pretended to think about it. “Never.”

“Well, in that case, It’s possible that your sister will send me back before that” Gwaine smirked, blinking to Merlin.

“Gwaine” Arthur got up, standing in front of his friend as to block his line of vision and tuned is voice down dangerously. “Listen to me. If you fucking touch him, I promise I’ll fire you.”

“Ouch!” Gwaine stared at him, brow furrowed, straightening his back in his seat. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“I suggest you not to bet any money on it.”

“You are no fun, Arthur” Gwaine loosened himself against the chair back, stretching his neck to take a final greedy look at Merlin above Arthur’s shoulder. “Why this now? You never gave a shit when I hooked up with the other intern.”

“The others, you mean” Arthur corrected, but Gwaine ignored it.

“Not even when I went out with the son of that insufferable client of yours, what’s his name again?”

“Odin” Arthur offered, even though he rather not be reminded of that incident. It almost made them lose one of the company’s major clients and Gwaine only kept his job because Odin never discovered who he really was. Actually, that was the reason Gwaine was promptly nominated when Morgana asked for cooperation. Morgana claimed the HR Department was missing two employees in maternity leave and made it very clear she wanted Gwen, but Gwen was acting as CRM’s substitute manager, after Leon broke his elbow while skiing.

“Why are you suddenly so selfish?” Gwaine pouted.

“As if I needed a reason, after what happened in the Odin’s son incident” Arthur sneered. Gwaine cocked an eyebrow, inviting him to elaborate and Arthur sighed. “I’m responsible for the kid, all right?”

Gwaine burst into laughter, throwing his head back. “You? Responsible? There’s two words that doesn’t fit together!”

“And you’re one to talk” Arthur mocked back. “And it’s true. Morgana placed me as Merlin’s supervisor, therefore I must protect him from bad influences such as you.”

“And who’s to say he wants to be protected from me?” Gwaine said and Arthur glared until he raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I promise I’ll be in my best behavior. I won’t push him, but I won’t flee if he comes after me either. You know how difficult it is to resist this” he pointed to his own body like it was self-explanatory.

“You don’t even know if he’s gay!” Arthur argued, only he didn’t sound very confident to his own ears. Gwaine always bragged about the high-performance of his gaydar. “Or do you?”

“I’ll need some more time to give my final opinion, but I’m definitely feeling a good vibe” he winked and slammed his hands in the chair’s armrests as he stood. “Now, your sister sent me here so I could try and convince you to change your mind about the operator, but I think it’s safe to say that, after plenty of reasoning, I came to the conclusion that you’re positively firm in your decision.”

“Of course” Arthur nodded gratefully.

Now back to his seat, Arthur watched all of Gwaine’s unending journey to the lobby: making Merlin laugh again with some random comment while slowly, almost reluctantly passing through; walking backwards at the last few steps so he could keep eye contact whilst still teasing him; and waving a final goodbye before he - finally - left. Still smiling, Merlin’s eyes met Arthur’s and the blond arched an eyebrow. Merlin’s smile gradually died out and he averted his eyes, adjusting his headset.

Arthur’s phone rang and he picked up without ever taking his eyes off Merlin. Perhaps that glass office wasn’t that bad an idea, in the end. “Yes?”

“I have Mr. Odin on the other line-“

“Shit” Arthur turned back to his desk and supported his elbows on it, combing his hair with his fingers. Speaking of the devil… “All right, you can put him through. Oh, and, Merlin?”

“Yes?”

“Trust me when I tell you, you should not listen to the shit that comes out of Gwaine’s mouth.”

“I’ll keep that in mind” Merlin said, although he didn’t seem to take his advice to heart.

“I’m serious. He means trouble, you hear me? I forbid you to do anything he asks without telling me firsthand. In fact, you are forbidden to do anything without my previous consent, is that clear?”

“Cristal clear” Merlin confirmed, unshaken.

“Great. Now put Odin through already. The last thing I need to give him is a reason to be annoyed.”

“Yes, Sire” Merlin said and then the line went dead.

“Hello?” Arthur tested looking at the phone’s display, but it was turned off. He put the receiver back and crossed his arms, watching while Merlin fumbled with the buttons, reading the curses at his lips with ease. When the phone went off again, Arthur calmly picked it up. “Any problem, Merlin?”

“I’m sorry, I- I got a bit mixed up.”

“Honestly Merlin, you are the worst operator I’ve ever had. I’m seriously considering calling Edinger back.”

“I think that's a great idea” Merlin readily agreed.

“Funny, I don’t remember asking your opinion.”

Merlin breathed thoroughly. Arthur allowed the silence to prolong for a few seconds.

“Merlin?”

“Yes?”

“The call?”

“Putting through!”

.M.

“Mom, I’m home!” Merlin shouted at the hallway, dropping his backpack at the kitchen table and picking up an apple. He ate it almost whole with a single bite while opening the refrigerator and taking some eggs, milk, bacon and whatever he came across that could be of some use. God, he was starving. He should remember to take some snack to the office the next day.

“Merlin? Is that you?” came his mother’s voice before she showed up.

Merlin hummed with his mouth full, throwing the apple’s core at the trash can and pulling the frying pan from the cupboard.

“Oh, honey, let me handle it” Hunith said, taking the pan from his hands and kissing his cheek.

“You don’t have to…” Merlin started to object, but she silenced him with a pat on his face.

“I know I don’t. But I haven’t got the chance to do much for you, lately” she turned her back on him, starting to break the eggs and fixing an omelet.

Merlin sat on top of the table and helped himself to a banana while he waited. Hunith worked at a supermarket nearby during daytime and sometimes got called to cover for someone at a local restaurant, where she spent most of the evening washing dishes. Merlin always assisted her with the bills as much as he could, even before he got into college, doing some odd jobs after school. After he entered UCL, there was never much time left for anything, even less for a permanent job. When Gaius retired from Pendragon Consulting, where he used to work at in Accountancy, he opened an apothecary and called Merlin to help him at evening shift. Still, the money he made there wasn’t enough for Hunith to quit the restaurant.

“So, are you gonna tell me how your day went?” Hunith pressed.

“Oh, it was... great” Merlin forced a smile on his face when his mother looker over her shoulder.

“Really?” her face lighted up. At least until she realized where he was seated. “Merlin, for God’s sake, why don’t you sit in a chair like the grown-up you are?”

“Oh, now I’m a gown-up?” Merlin gave back, but sat down at the chair at his mother glare. “That’s not what you said when you saw me drinking beer at Gaius’s.”

“Gaius is your godfather! He shouldn’t offer you alcohol, even if is just a beer” she shook her head, refusing to give in.

Merlin rolled his eyes, but didn’t say a thing. If his mother got pissed off with a single beer, he could only imagine how she would react if she knew how much he and Will drunk at Merlin’s eighteenth birthday. Thankfully Gaius covered for them when they showed up at his door completely smashed, telling their mothers he insisted they spent the night.

“But I’m glad you enjoyed your first day, son. I’m guessing this internship at Pendragon Consulting will stand out at your job applications, in the near future. And there’s always the possibility that they’ll hire you at the end of the contract. I’m sure they won’t dream of letting you go once they learn about your skills.”

Merlin stuffed his mouth full with the banana to escape answering that. He figured his mother wouldn’t be pleased if she knew the only talents he was able of showing until now was his remarkable ability to operate a switchboard and put up with his supervisor stupidity. If this kept going the way it was, maybe Merlin would add “taking drink orders at Starbucks” and “polishing fancy shoes with my own butt” to his professional resume.

“And how about the people there?” Hunith questioned.

“Oh **,** they're all very nice” Merlin said and, for the most part, he wasn’t lying. Despite the fact that he wasn’t formally introduced to the team, Merlin spent the whole afternoon connecting calls and ended up having a few words with most of them. Also, unlike what he expected, he ended up making an impression by standing up to Pendragon like that. Some of them even offered to buy him drinks one of these days, such as that charming and funny bloke from HR, Gwaine. If he wasn’t that much older, Maybe Merlin would have considered accepting.

Oh, who was he kidding? It wasn’t like he had the time to go out to drink and, even if he had, he would probably come up with something not to go out with anyone, let alone someone from his work. Pendragon probably would end his contract the next day, judging by the look on his face when he saw Merlin encouraging Gwaine’s attentions.

“Here” Hunith stated, placing the omelet in front of him.

“Have I told you I love you, mom?” Merlin asked before his first bite.

“Not today, my dear” she kissed his forehead, smiling fondly.

.M.

Merlin had dozens of homework assignments and studying to do, but somehow he ended up leaving it all behind and taking the tube to Gaius’ Apothecary. The night was colder than he anticipated and he blew hot air at his hands to warm his fingers uncovered by the fingerless glove, while he crossed the street to the narrow door between an accounting office and a bookstore.

“Merlin! What are you doing here?” Gaius enquired as soon as he saw him coming in. “Don’t tell me you changed your mind about the internship, because your post is not available anymore.”

“You already replaced me?” Merlin felt slightly disappointed.

“Well, it’s complicated” Gaius grimaced. “In fact I didn’t have much of a choice, I-”

“Merlin” said a familiar voice and Merlin turned towards de storage room, where a grinning Will stood at the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I could ask you the same question” Merlin turned to Gaius. “You mean he is your new assistant?”

The look of deep regret on Gaius face was answer enough and Merlin burst out laughing.

“Oh, do be quiet, boy” Gaius scolded, arching an eyebrow.

“What’s so funny?” Will closed in, looking between one and the other.

“I have absolutely no idea” Gaius folded his arms and shifted his piercing gaze from Merlin to Will. “Don’t you have something to do?”

“I’m talking to my friend, that’s what I’m doing” Will shrugged. “Speaking of which, some good friend you are, aren’t you Merlin? Haven’t you got any of my fifty texts, by any chance?”

Merlin was saved from answering by Gaius’ interference. “Unlike you, Merlin takes his job seriously, and that is why he doesn’t have the time for chitchat. Now get back to the storage and finish tidying up the shelf you tipped over.”

“Jesus, I can’t even say hi to my friend” Will complained. “Seriously, Merlin, I don’t know how you put up with it for so long” he grumbled but quickly stepped back before the look on his boss face, holding his hands in front of himself. “Alright, I’m going!”

Merlin fought back the grin that threatened to show on his face. “Oh my God, Gaius. I don't want to be you right now.”

“I don't want to be me either” Gaius lowered his voice to a whisper. “Are you sure he finished High School? Because I get the impression he doesn’t even know the alphabetical order!”

“It’s possible that the teachers just moved him on to the next level so they didn’t have to deal with him anymore” Merlin considered.

“Hey, I heard that!” Will said and then cursed right after they heard a tinkle that made Gaius cringe, casting a worried look to the back of the store before sighing.

“Come here” Gaius called to Merlin, offering to hang up his coat and inviting him to a seat behind the counter while he tended to a customer. Merlin helped him with the change, handling the register with ease.

As soon as the customer left, Gaius sat at another stool in front of Merlin.

“Now, tell me how your first day as an intern was.”

“That’s right, tell us about your boss” Will nosed in again, sticking his head out of the backroom and waggling his eyebrows teasingly. “She's hot as fuck, isn’t she?”

“First of all, Morgana isn’t my boss” Merlin clarified for what seemed to by the millionth time. “Second of all, she isn’t exactly my type.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you wouldn’t turn straight for her.”

“William!” Gaius reproached, to that Will disappeared again, mumbling something about slavery. “Don’t listen to him. Come on, tell me already.”

Merlin took a deep breath and spilled it all out to his godfather, holding nothing back. Well, maybe he didn’t mention the obscene gestures he saw Gwaine doing while looking at him, but he guessed that didn’t make much of a difference, in general. When he finished, Gaius was smiling and shaking his head.

“Arthur is not that bad. I’m sure you are exaggerating-”

“But I’m not!” Merlin looked away before his godfather’s doubtful look. “Okay, maybe he didn’t exactly threaten to slap my knuckles with the ruler” he admitted. “And I may have overrated the things he said to Sefa, but the rest is all true, I swear! The girl was so crushed she nearly had to be dragged out the room after he discharged her and-”

Gaius placed a hand on his knee to stop him. “Arthur is a good kid, Merlin” Gaius stated and Merlin could see it in his eyes that he truly believed what he said. “He has a big heart.”

“Oh, it might be big, but it certainly isn’t bigger that his head” Merlin muttered. “But the fact is that he hates me. And I can assure you the feeling is mutual.”

“I sincerely doubt he hates you. But I’m positive that Arthur would have to do worse than that for you to hate him” Gaius pointe him a finger and Merlin slumped his shoulders. “If you had left me talk to him or to Morgana, maybe-”

“No” Merlin shook his head. “I wouldn’t like them to treat me any different just because of how much they regard you, Gaius. Besides, I had to prove to myself that I could get in by my own merits.”

“Well, if it means anything, I never doubted your capacity.”

“Thank you, Gaius. For everything you've done for me” Merlin squeezed his godfather hands. “But I would feel better if you had kept my old post open. You know, in case Arthur kicks me out one year sooner than expected.”

“He would be fool to do that” Gaius ignored the dubious look his godson gave him. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’re a very talented boy.”

“See, that’s the problem! Arthur didn’t give me any chance to show him I have any talent at all and I honestly doubt one day he will. All he wants is a servant who he can boss around while he throws daggers and laughs with his friends!”

“Have a little more patience, Merlin. Things will get better with time.”

“I hope so” Merlin sighed, thinking about how tired his mom looked when she left for the restaurant that evening.

Suddenly there was a rattle of clashing things and shattering glass. Gaius shut his eyes tightly and Merlin felt a wave of sympathy for him.

“It’s okay! I’m fine!” came Will’s voice. “But I think I might need some help…”

“I knew it was coming…” Gaius said and Merlin patted his back.

“Well, apparently I’m not the only one in need of a little more patience.”

“God help me.”

“Hey, guys?” Will called, uncertainly. “Anyone there?”

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ In case anyone is interested, he is listening to _Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out._
> 
> The story is split into three parts, just so you know. I didn’t include all the warnings I probably should, but I’ll try to give some heads-up as things progresses.


	3. Part 1 - Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Day Five**

Arthur checked his watch for what seemed to be the thousandth time. It was almost one and a half in the afternoon and Merlin was yet to arrive. Arthur had met with some clients earlier in the day, already preparing himself psychologically for the fact that the afternoon would be completely wasted. Merlin’s presence disrupted his focus, touched a nerve and made him much more conscious of everything that happened outside his office. However, as it seemed, his absence didn’t make it any better.

When the door to the division’s room opened again and Merlin came in, Arthur released his breath. The sudden loosening of his muscles made him feel a twitching in his neck and he stretched it from one side to the other while Merlin made his way to his office.

“Excuse me” Merlin asked and Arthur grumbled pretending to be focused on the desktop screen.

Only when Merlin had put the Starbucks bag on the desk, Arthur looked up. The boy was in a complete mess. His - horrible - brown coat was stained with raindrops, the red scarf seemed to be soaked, his wet hair was attached to his head like a helmet and the tips of his ears were rosy, as well as his nose. While Arthur assessed him, Merlin’s face contorted in a grimace and he sneezed.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow. “You’re late.”

“I’m sorry” Merlin scratched his wet head. “It’s raining. The tube was packed. The fact that you ordered half of the Starbucks menu didn’t really help, if you must know.”

Ignoring the provocation, Arthur opened the bag and pulled out its content. “This is cold” he stated, holding the Earl Gray cup. “This is frozen” he picked up the Chocolate Mocha Latte. “This is disgusting” he took a crumpled croissant out from its wrapping, pulling a face. “And what part of blueberry muffin you didn’t get?”

Merlin wrinkled his nose. “They only had chocolate or lemon.”

“You should have gone for the lemon one” Arthur tossed the muffin back to the bag without an ounce of care and wiped his hands up with the paper napkins that came with them. “Never chocolate, do you understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Pendragon” Merlin didn’t even trying to prevent the sarcasm from showing in his voice.

“Take this with you” Arthur dumped the used napkin inside the package and shoved it at Merlin. Then he pushed the hot chocolate cup his way too. “And this. I’ll keep the tea, though, since I don’t have any options.”

“And what am I supposed to do with all these?” Merlin gestured towards the remaining items - which was pretty much all of it.

“What do I care? Throw it away, eat it, whatever. Now get out before you soak my carpeting.”

“Um… And where exactly should I go?”

Arthur pointed to the reception desk, where Gwen was covering for the operator’s absence.

Merlin groaned. “Again? I though you said the agency would send another person!”

“And so they did” Arthur took a sip of his tea. It wasn’t that cold but Merlin didn’t need to know. “Useless, just like the others. And I am already fed up of incompetent people, thank you. What are you waiting for?”

Merlin opened his mouth to say anything, but changed his mind. He grabbed the bag, crushing the paper under his fingers uncovered by the glove and stomped out.

“Oh, and, Merlin?” Arthur called before the door closed behind him. He heard Merlin swear before sticking his head back in, a fake smile on his tight lips. “Call the drugstore and ask for some vitamin C. The last thing I need is one more health leave. And if you ditch work on monday just because of a cold, I’ll personally go to your house knock you out of bed, understand?”

“Perfectly, Sire.”

After he left, Arthur sighed contently, turning back to his desktop while savoring his tea. He actually got to concentrate on his work for some time, stopping time and again to make or answer a call, always keeping an eye on what Merlin was doing and never losing an opportunity to needle him.

One week had passed in that same routine. Arthur didn’t believe in self-evaluations, for this reason he didn’t try to investigate what motivated him. It was fun to provoke Merlin and the sense of power it caused was highly addicting. And if Arthur ended up taking care of his intern’s heath while at it, it was merely to make sure Merlin would always be there to entertain him.

Arthur watched with satisfaction while Merlin lashed out at the Starbucks’ bag mid-afternoon. He noticed, at day two, how Merlin devoured the snack he brought from home between one call and the other, eating even the crumbs falling down at the napkin. Apparently, his slimness wasn’t for lack of eating, but an outcome of his fast metabolism. Arthur remembered feeling an unending hunger throughout his teenage years, eating everything he got his hand at. He barely finished his meals and was already ravenous again. But he wasn’t concerned by that at tuesday. Not even wednesday, when Merlin had some fruits he brought in his backpack. At thursday, though, Arthur noticed he didn’t eat anything until the end of the afternoon, when Gwen offered him a chocolate bar. Merlin had shaken his head a few times, but Gwen insisted until he gave in. Arthur watched gratefully, then, while Merlin devoured the chocolate. He could still remember Merlin’s face as he licked his fingers after slowly savoring the candy, mourning every bite in advance.

Arthur had called the switchboard immediately and asked to see the Starbucks’ coupons. As he suspected, Merlin bought only the tea he ordered, every single day. For that reason, Arthur increased his order, even though he didn’t intent to ingest anything beyond his tea.

Congratulating himself for the success of his plan, Arthur immersed back in his work until he got interrupted by Morgana, who stormed into his office looking like she was ready to murder someone.

“You think I don’t have anything to do besides cleaning up your shit, Arthur?”

“Oh, please come in, Morgana” Arthur said, sarcastic. “Make yourself confortable, will you?”

“This is the fourth operator you kick out before half a day’s work!” Morgana continued, enraged. “I don’t even know what to tell the agency anymore! After all, no one is ever going to be good enough for you, then maybe we should just withdraw the position. Is this what you want? Be left without an operator?”

Arthur shrugged. “Better no one than the good-for-nothing schnooks the agency keeps sending! Anyone can answer a phone in the mornings and in the afternoon Merlin can-”

“Arthur” Morgana stepped in, speaking slowly like he was some kind of retarded. “You provide business advice to other companies about this, so I expect you know the labor cost of your analysts per hour. Therefore you also must know it isn’t financially viable to assign one of them to answer the phone. As for Merlin, you signed his contract, so you know very well that this is not part of the roll of activities to which he was signed to. This” she pointed out to the reception desk, where an undisturbed Merlin continued to talk to his headset. “Is a field day to a labor litigation and you know it very well. So please stop insulting your own intelligence!”

Arthur just stared back at her, his eyebrows arching up. Before he could say anything, however, she took a deep breath and went on.

“If this is some kind of payback because I convinced you to supervise Merlin, I-”

“Convinced?” Arthur mocked. “It is an interesting way of describing what you did, although I’d have chosen another word for it.”

Morgana moved her jaw from one side to the other. “Okay, fine” she gave up. “You won. I’ll arrange a contractual additive changing his internship supervisor-”

“Don’t you dare!” Arthur’s voice came louder than he intended. He regretted his spontaneous reaction, though, when Morgana squinted her eyes. He cleared his throat. “It won’t be necessary. I admit that I might have acted a bit-”

“Childishly?” Morgana suggested.

“-prematurely by dismissing the operators, but you weren’t reasonable either. And I’m not talking strictly about Merlin’s contract, here. Telling our father that one of my exes died from AIDS wasn’t exactly mature on your part.”

“That’s beside the point” Morgana studied her nails closely.

“Of course” Arthur snorted.

“Well, back to business” Morgana resumed, unfazed. “I’ll ask for the replacement one last time, but if you dismiss anyone else without a sensible reason…” she smiled in such a way that Arthur almost broke into a sweat. “I’ll be forced to relocate your intern.”

This time, Arthur remained impassive. “Don’t get me wrong, Merlin isn’t any wonder, but he’s been helping to cover for the missing staff. Besides, it’s not my fault if the agency only sends incompetents, but” he paused strategically. “I can assure you that I’ll consider your... advice carefully.”

“Great” Morgana left after regarding him with one last exultant look. And not without reason. She certainly got more out of that brief exchange than she bargained for.

Damn, Arthur thought, watching Morgana trade a few words with Merlin. She leaned almost casually on the counter, bearing her best conquering smile, making Merlin blush. Arthur only realized he was clutching his pen when it snapped in his hand.

.M.

“So… how did you like your first week, Merlin?” Morgana asked bending over the counter.

Merlin averted his eyes from the woman’s cleavage, pretending to fumble with his notebook. “Oh, I’m enjoying it... Very much.”

“Why, you don’t need to lie to me, Merlin” Morgana smiled like she knew all his secrets. “I’ve lived with Arthur my whole life. I know how unbearable he can be.”

“Um…” Merlin hummed thinking it best not to say a word. One thing was Morgana speaking badly of her own brother. An intern badmouthing his supervisor to the Internal Processes’ Director was another thing entirely.

“All right, you don’t have to say anything” she guaranteed, apparently amused by his embarrassment. “But I want you to know that you can always count on me to talk about anything, okay?”

“Okay, thanks” Merlin agreed, even though he didn’t intent to take the offer.

“I mean it” Morgana insisted, suddenly serious. And maybe she was able to read his mind, somehow. “Arthur likes to think he gives the orders, but he doesn’t give the final say when it comes to Pendragon’s people. You don’t have to do anything he says just to keep your position, I can assure you that. If he takes advantage of you, don’t hesitate to find me. I can move you from divisions in one blink and there’s nothing Arthur can do to prevent that” she raised her chin proudly and Merlin swallowed audibly.

He didn’t doubt for one second that she was capable of doing exactly as she said. But, at the same time, his mother taught him to fight his own battles. “Thank you for your concern, but everything is fine” Merlin ensured. “I can take care of myself. Really.”

Morgana seemed pleasantly surprised by that answer and smiled again, her green eyes shining. “I’m sure you can. Well, anyway, stop by the fourth floor before you leave today. Look out for Elyan, he will get you your paycheck.”

Merlin thanked her and kept smiling until she left. When he turned back to the switchboard, though, he slumped his shoulders. There were a dozen of lights flickering.

After six o’clock, the calls became scarce and Merlin could finally breath, stretching his numb muscles. He cracked his knuckles and checked the Starbucks bag, but nothing had sprouted there after Merlin ate it all, so he crumpled the empty package and threw it in the trash can. When he straightened again, Arthur was staring at him from his office’s door, his brow furrowed.

“What are you still doing here, Merlin?”

Merlin blinked a few times and checked the clock on the wall. It was six-fifteen. “Um… I was late today?”

“Don’t be stupid. Your contract states your exit time is at six.”

“I thought you said you didn’t care what my contract says!” Merlin exasperated.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I really don’t. But if Morgana sees you here at this hour she will think I’m forcing you to stay late.”

“Ok” Merlin said after a brief consideration and took off the headset, hurriedly collecting his stuff before the man changed his mind.

“Don’t forget your vitamins” Arthur said when he was already leaving.

Merlin turned back around and grabbed the vitamins he bought with the corporate credit card, waving with the box so that Arthur saw it before shoving it inside his backpack. Then he turned his back on him again and only then rolled his eyes.

“And make sure to do some proper resting to be on your top form an monday! I won’t accept any laziness-”

Merlin shut the door behind himself and took a deep breath. It was friday, at last. However bad the week might have been, it was already over and he had a whole weekend to recover from it without anyone to piss him off. He was about to push the ground floor button on the lift when he recalled Morgana’s words and pressed the number four.

The HR’s room was the first on the left. It wasn’t as big as CRM’s and the furniture arrangement was entirely different, but it was almost empty at that time.

“May I help you?” asked a middle aged man who had been examining the contents of a filling cabinet near the door.

“I’m looking for Elyan.”

The man pointed out to a guy a little bit older than Merlin, with dark skin and a gentle face.

“Elyan?” Merlin asked as he approached, feeling slightly uncomfortable for calling the guy by his given name, since no one had bothered to tell him his surname. “Morgana asked me to find you. My name is Merlin Emrys.”

“Oh, Merlin! Come here” Elyan signaled for him to take a seat in front of his desk while searching through some files scattered on it. “Gwen talks a lot about you. She is my sister” he explained before Merlin’s curious look.

“Oh… right. Um… you two aren't much alike.”

“I know, I’m the better looking” Elyan stated, easygoing. “Here it is” he opened one of the files, taking one check and two sheets of paper from it. “I need you to sign it in here, please.”

“Hey, there must have been a mistake” Merlin said as he laid his eyes on the amount indicated on the receipt. “It’s way above what I was signed to-”

“Oh, sure” Elyan nodded. “She asked me to add the proportionate value of the operator’s working hours. She said you’ve been pinch-hitting.”

Merlin opened his mouth to object, but shut it closed again. The prospect of his mother spending a few weeks without having to work on the restaurant made him swallow his own pride.

“Well, thank you, I guess.”

“Merlin!” he heard a velvety voice after he finished signing his receipt and accepted the check from Elyan’s hand.

“Oh, hello Gwaine” Merlin raised up to shake the man’s hand, but ended up wrapped in a hug. Gwaine smelled of fresh cologne and clean clothes. His stubble scratched slightly at Merlin’s cheek and he felt himself blushing.

“What are you doing here?” Gwaine asked, tossing his brown straight hair to the side as he backed off just enough so that he could stare him in the eyes without, however, leaving his personal space.

“What does everybody come here for on fridays, Gwaine?” Elyan retorted, folding his arms.

“Oh, well…” Merlin waved with his pay check in response.

“Your first earnings, huh?” Gwaine patted his shoulder. “How about celebrating it with us? We’re going to The Rising Sun in a bit.”

“Um…” Merlin scratched his head. “I don’t think I can manage...”

“Oh, come on…” Gwaine insisted, his hoarse voice barely above a whisper. “You can’t let it pass unnoticed. Besides, I owe you one drink.”

“Maybe some other day” Merlin used the excuse of throwing his backpack on his shoulders to put some distance between them. Even though he felt attracted to Gwaine, the man wasn’t really his type. Gwaine was the kind of guy who could get whoever he wanted in one blink. And he probably was used to wooing many people, men or women, whilst Merlin… Well, let’s just say he was far from being an experienced person when it came to relationships.

“Gwen’s going too” Elyan said, shrugging. “You should come with us.”

“I really can’t today” Merlin insisted, stepping backwards to the door. “I’ve got a... thing” he lied. “But thanks for inviting me.”

Actually, he didn’t have anything to do the whole weekend besides studying and catching up with his college’s homework. Merlin checked the numbers on his paycheck one more time before entering the lift and beamed to himself. Maybe he could find some time to buy a new pair of shoes, since his were in need of retirement. And perhaps some new gloves too. The new coat would still have to wait, but not too long. Merlin slipped his check in his pocket and bit the inside of his cheeks to stop the silly smile from spreading through his face, uninvited.

Well, perhaps the week hadn’t gone that bad, after all.

.Merlin.


	4. Part 1 - Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a beta reader now! Yay! And she is so sweet I can’t believe my luck!  
> 
> 
> Thank you so much **Lexi** , you made this chapter so much better!
> 
> For those of you who don’t like to be surprised, please read the notes by the end of the chapter.
> 
> Enjoy the reading!

**Chapter 3**

**2nd Week**

Come monday, Merlin was optimistic. Hunith was so happy when Merlin showed her his paycheck, she took him to their neighbor’s diner, that stood a few blocks from their apartment, something they hadn’t done in _ages_! Merlin bought his new shoes, gloves and even a new backpack in a sale. He also convinced his mother to send the microwave to repair – since last Christmas, they had to turn the fridge off every time they used the microwave, for it to work. He even gave in to Will’s demands and took the sunday evening off to watch some movies and play The Last of Us at his friend’s house. Again, something he hadn’t done for a long time.

Not even the text Arthur sent that morning with his Starbucks’ orders made him lose hope that things were about to get better. And, if it didn’t, Merlin would have a heart-to-heart with his supervisor, even if he had to call for extreme measures. He wasn’t willing to accept Morgana’s help, but Arthur didn’t have to know that.

As he set foot in the office and saw a red-headed girl on the reception desk, Merlin was sure his fortune was already changing for the better. He made sure to introduce himself to her – her name was Beatrice Wust -, and, to his surprise, he found out she survived a whole morning of working and was still excited, although a bit clumsy.

He was caught up in the chat when he heard a noise and turned to see Arthur knocking on the glass walls and pointing to his watch. Merlin excused himself and made his way to Arthur’s office with a persistent smile on his face.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Pendragon” he said, setting the Starbucks’ bag on the director’s desk and even taking the lead to pull the items out of it. “Here is your tea, your cappuccino, the ham and cheese sandwich and…” he had to search through the bag to retrieve the last one. “Here. Your smoked almonds.”

Pursing his lips, Arthur studied everything seeming unimpressed. “It’s missing a lollipop” he stated, in the end, folding his arms.

“Oh, right” Merlin patted his coat’s pockets until he withdraw the lollipop, offering it to him.

Arthur just stared at him, making a disapproving sound with his tongue. “It’s yours” he stated when Merlin’s stretched arm began to tire and his smile was starting to falter.

“Oh” Merlin lowered his arm and shrugged, stuffing the candy inside his pocket again. “Alright. Thanks, I guess.”

“You can keep these too” Arthur pushed the sandwich and the cappuccino at his way, but pulled the almond and the tea closer to himself. “That’s all.”

“Ok” Merlin grabbed the packet warily, but didn’t prolong the subject. “Oh, I saw we have a replacement operator today!”

“Your observational skills are really remarkable, aren’t they, Merlin” Arthur retorted sarcastically whilst sipping his tea and facing his computer screen.

“So…” Merlin rocked on the balls of his feet. “What should I do today?”

Without bothering to look his way, Arthur opened a drawer and retrieved an envelope, scribbled some last-minute note on it and held it out. “Take this to Percy, from the Implementation Division.”

“And where is the Implementation Division, exactly?” Merlin asked. “After all, it’s not like I was given a tour of the company’s building on my first day.”

Arthur snorted. “Well then think of this task as a perfect opportunity to the get acquainted with the surroundings. Now get out and let me do my job. I have an appointment with a client in a few minutes and I need to finish this presentation.”

“But what then? What should I do after I deliver this envelope?” Merlin pressed, refusing to be discouraged by the cold treatment of his supervisor.

“I’ll think of something” Arthur gestured for him to leave as if shooing a dog.

Merlin took a deep breath pressing his lips together and curtsied before he left. He went straight to Gwen’s table. “Gwen, where is the Implementation Division?”

“First floor. Why?” she turned to face him, her brow furrowed.

“I have to deliver this mail to some Percy guy.”

“Percival Armstrong. He’s the division’s manager” Gwen offered, volunteering much more information in that brief conversation than Arthur had ever done.

“Right, thank you” Merlin took his backpack off his shoulders. “Can I leave my stuff here somewhere?”

“Sure. You can put them in my cabinet” Gwen opened the cabinet door and pushed her purse aside to clear out some space. “By the way, we’ll have to find you a workstation. I’ll see if I can clear one out for you. Don’t worry, I’ve got this” she winked at him.

Merlin thanked her and stashed his backpack in the cabinet. He was already half way to the door when he thought better and took the cappuccino with him as he hurried out. At that time of the day, the lift was busy with most of the staff leaving and coming back from lunchtime so, after two minutes of waiting, he decided to go down the stairwell. It was a long descent, but Merlin was full of energy and wanted to finish this sooner so he could start doing some proper work. The caffeine helped to increase his disposition and Merlin discarded the empty cup when he reached the first floor.

It didn’t take long for him to find Armstrong. Not that the office wasn’t big enough – it seemed never ending, occupying almost the whole flooring -, but because Percival was too big to pass unnoticed.

“Mr. Armstrong?” Merlin called, having been pointed to him by the receptionist. “My name is Merlin. Mr. Pendragon asked me to bring you this.”

“Uther or Arthur?” the man inquired, looking suspiciously to the envelope Merlin held out to him.

“Arthur” Merlin clarified, to which Armstrong’s expression lightened. He took his hand off the mouse – which seemed ridiculously small bellow his big hand -, and accepted the mail, opening it and reading it’s content.

After reading it, the manager measured Merlin from head to toe, scratching his chin and frowning. “Arthur asked you to give me this?” he questioned again. “You came straight to me?”

“Yes” Merlin assured, confused. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing, it’s just…” the man breathed audibly. “One second” he grabbed a pen and leaned over the paper. Merlin politely diverted his eyes while he scribbled, trying not to be nosy.

“Merlin, right?” Armstrong asked, tucking the sheet back inside the envelope. “Could you do me a favor?”

“Sure” Merlin agreed, solicitous.

“I need you to take it to sixth floor. Ask for Lancelot du Lac. He probably isn’t back from lunch yet, but should be here any minute. Only it is important you deliver it to him in hand, understood?”

“No problem, Mr. Armstrong” Merlin ensured, his eyes round with the serious tone in which the man said those instructions.

“You can call me Percy. Oh, and maybe you should use the stairwell” he suggested. “It’s quite a long walk up, but it’s nearly impossible to use the lift at this time.”

Merlin nodded and said goodbye, taking a deep breath before climbing up the five flights of stairs. He reached the sixth floor slightly breathless, but didn’t stop to recover. Percival forgot to mention to which division Mr. du Lac belonged and Merlin soon found out there were many on that floor. The third person to whom he asked recognized the name and directed him to follow through to the last door, at the Analysis Division. He had to wait fifteen minutes until Lancelot arrived.

“Mr. du Lac?” Merlin called when the man walked up in his direction. He was very handsome, latin style, and had the most honest eyes Merlin had ever seen. “I’m Merlin. Merlin Emrys.”

“Nice to meet you, Merlin. And you can call me Lance. Gwen talks so much about you that I feel like I know you already” Lancelot spoke calmly, articulating every syllable carefully, caressing the English language like it was something dear. Merlin liked him instantly.

“Don’t tell me you’re her brother too” Merlin said ironically and Lance laughed.

“I take it you’ve met Elyan, then. And no, I’m her boyfriend.”

“Oh, right. Well, it’s nice to meet you too, Lance” Merlin offered the envelope. “Mr. Armstrong asked me to deliver this to you.”

“Oh...” Lancelot’s reaction as he read it was very similar to Percival’s but he seemed quite unsure at the end. “I can’t believe Arthur is seriously doing it” he said as he examined Merlin for one moment.

It looked like Lancelot was considering something before he searched for a pen at his breast pocket and added some note to the sheet, returning it to the envelope afterwards.

“Merlin, could you be so kind to take this to Mordred, from Accountancy? Second floor?”

Merlin blinked a few time before smiling. “Sure, no problem.”

“I really appreciate it” Lancelot tapped his shoulder. “I promise I’ll buy you a drink sometime soon.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to” Merlin assured, waving his goodbye.

As Merlin left the room, he sighed. This time he chose to wait for the lift.

.M.

Merlin looked at the wall clock before leaving the warehouse, at underground level, and grunted. It was past four in the afternoon and he couldn’t take any more walking around the building. He remembered with longing wistfulness the sandwich he left in Gwen’s cabinet. Then he searched his pockets for the lollipop. Well, it was better than nothing.

As he waited for the elevator and sucked on his lollipop, Merlin examined the envelope in his hands. All people he delivered it to added something to it before sending him to another part of the building in search of some random person, who would send him to another and so on. His mood had become foul a while ago now, overcome by tiredness, hunger and anger. Only the good manners his mother taught him prevented him from opening the envelope and discover _what the fucking hell this was about_. Coming from Arthur, it couldn’t be good.

At fifth floor, Owain from Financial sent him looking for Elyan and Merlin didn’t even bother saying goodbye. He didn’t even have the spirit to fake a polite smile, barely keeping from rolling his eyes. At least not in front of Owain.

“Merlin!” Gwaine greeted him at the HR, passing one arm around his shoulders. “I was wondering when you’d get here. I believe you have something for me?”

“Um…” Merlin had to take the lollipop out of his mouth to answer. “Actually, it’s for Elyan. How did you-“

“What?” Elyan looked up at hearing his own name.

“How’s that?” Gwaine sounded outraged, taking the mail off his hands. “These idiots are trying to leave me out of it? Now, they know they can’t keep up with me, but…” he easily frustrated Merlin’s attempts to get the sheet back while reading. “I knew it! Well, Arthur is _so_ gonna regret it. Elyan, you first.”

Merlin watched as Elyan read the note and shrugged, returning it to Gwaine. “I’ll pass. You’re gonna cheat anyway” he said and Gwaine smirked.

“You’re the cleverest of them all, Elyan. I’ve always known it” Gwaine scratched something on the paper and slipped it back inside the envelope, turning back to an astonished Merlin. “Hey, Merlin, since you haven’t given me the chance to buy you that drink, why don’t you join me to get a hot beverage in the kitchen?” he flipped Merlin around and guided him to the hallway with a firm grip on his shoulder, giving him no chance to react. “I bet you’re worn out after all this walking around, am I wrong? Those guys are heartless brutes, if you ask my opinion. And believe me when I say I’m the only person you can trust in here.”

Merlin soon found himself on the lift, descending to the first floor.

“That lollipop does seem very tasty, but I bet you could use some carbs, right?” Gwaine kept on with his monologue. “There are some cookies that don’t really satisfy your hunger, but they certainly take the edge of it, you’ll see.”

“What the fuck!” Merlin finally lost it.

“Whoa!” Gwaine seemed surprised, but didn’t block Merlin when he reached for the envelope in his hand and neither tried to stop him while he fumbled with it to open, settling for keeping the elevator doors open when they reached the first floor. “Hey, I won’t blame you if you do it, but I would be extremely grateful if you waited a little longer…”

Those words made Merlin stop to face him, pulling what was left of his lollipop out of his mouth. “What are you talking about, Gwaine? What the fuck is this? I’m done walking around this place like an idiot! I bet everyone is laughing at me right now, aren’t them? I’ll kill Pendragon, I swear I will!”

“I promise not to try and stop you” Gwaine assured. “Now come here. We can talk about this in the kitchen, okay?”

“Tell me just this one thing” Merlin struggled to maintain his tone reasonably low. “If I wait, will Arthur be pissed?”

“Let’s just say you can bet on that.”

“Right” Merlin nodded and followed him to the kitchen, located opposed to Percival’s division.

The area wasn’t that wide, but there was a kitchen counter filled with thermos, which tags read ‘coffee’, ‘hot water’ and ‘milk’ along with sugar, sweetener and tea bags of all sorts. Merlin picked up a bag of Earl Gray and felt his anger levels towards Arthur increasing dangerously. “You mean all this time there was tea right here? And that jerk sends me to Starbucks every fucking day…?”

“He's charming, isn’t he?” Gwaine sounded terribly pleased.

“God, I’ll kill him!”

“Sure, sure, but can it wait?” Gwaine served Merlin some tea while he was occupied helping himself with the cookie jars lined up on the counter.

They sat side by side at the bar stools, next to some girls entertained with each other and Merlin suppressed a pained groan as he did so. If he could already feel the soreness in his leg’s muscles, he could only imagine how much pain he would be in the next day.

“So, I heard you’ve seen the whole building today” Gwaine commented after he gallantly said hello to the girls, as expected.

Merlin answered with a huff, stuffing his mouth with cookies to stop the curses.

“Alright, forget I said that” Gwaine changed his approach. “So, Merlin, tell me about you. Where do you go to college, what are your hobbies, your dreams… tell me everything! We have enough time to spare.”

It was difficult for Merlin to talk, at first. His anger was such that he couldn’t think straight. But Gwaine prodded and poked until Merlin cut loose. Next thing, Merlin found himself telling even about Popy, the dog he rescued from the streets, but died of cancer when he was five.

“Here’s to Popy, then” Gwaine raised his third cup of coffee in a toast. He checked his watch, as he had been doing from time to time, and sighed. “Well, that’s it. You can open the mail now.”

Merlin almost refused, but his curiosity got the better of him. He took the envelope from the countertop and took a deep breath before opening it. As he read the note inside, his jaw dropped and the anger filled him again like hot water.

There were several handwritings, but the first one was undoubtedly Arthur’s. It said:

_“Merlin needs some exercise. Keep him moving._

_P.S.: leave Gwaine out of it._

_P.P.S.: Gwaine, if you put your hands on this, you can be sure I’ll know if you cheat._

_Terms:  £10 in Merlin finding out at 15.00 – Arthur 13.14”_

Following that, in multiple handwritings, there were dozens of entries of the kind:

_16.00 – Percy – 13.25_

_14.30 – Lance – 13.47_

_15.30 – Mordred – 13.56_

_…_

And, at the bottom line: “ _16.45 – Gwaine – 16.18_ ”.

“Son of a bitch!” Merlin pressed his jaw tight, gripping the countertop edge with yellowing fingertips. “I won’t just kill him, Gwaine. I want him to suffer before. And then I want to watch as he dies poisoned. Or with an arrow across his throat, choking on his own blood. Or immersing in a tub full of acid-“

“Wow!” Gwaine said, astounded. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Merlin. You should blow off a little steam, man.”

Merlin cursed again and got up, ready to march into seventh floor and punch Arthur’s smug face out of him.

“Hey, now, easy there” Gwaine held his arm, seeming to have read his thoughts. “Don’t do anything you might regret later. Besides, I bet Arthur is killing to know where you are by now, the dumb ass” he shook his head to himself. “The best you can do right now is let him come to you. And, in the meantime, can I get you some more tea?”

“Don’t you have work to do?” Merlin asked, realizing with a startle that more than half an hour had passed since they arrived there. Many people had come and left the kitchen in the meantime, alone or in groups. Some of them said hello to Gwaine, others ignored him entirely. Despite deliberately flirting with some of them, Gwaine never turned his attention from Merlin for long.

“Nah, Elyan will come up with something, if he needs to. He owes me one.”

Merlin slumped back at the bar stool, although reluctantly. Not that Gwaine wasn’t good company. It was easy to let himself get carried away by his carefree chatting, but Merlin had too much going on his mind at the moment. He listened to Gwaine with half of his focus on it while trying to decide what to do next.

“So, you didn’t tell me if you have a girlfriend” Gwaine inquired after some fruitless attempts to approach the subject indirectly, which Merlin pretended not to get.

“Oh… No, I don’t” Merlin admitted, drawing random forms on the outside of his empty cup with the pad of his index finger.

“Boyfriend, then?” Gwaine pushed, to what Merlin felt himself blushing.

“Um…”

“ _Ahem_ ” someone cleared their throat and they both turned back at the same time, meeting Arthur’s impassive face. “What the fuck is going on here?”

.M.

That afternoon, Arthur learned a lesson he would never forget: that he shouldn’t ever lose sight of Merlin again, to his own sanity’s sake.

The appointment was tedious and endless, but he exceeded his planning only half an hour, therefore it could have been worse. Yet, he wasn’t happy when he got back to his office at 15.45 and Merlin was nowhere to be seen. The stack of papers Arthur asked to be placed beside the paper shredder remained untouched and Gwen assured that Merlin hadn’t set foot at the division since Arthur left.

The first thing Arthur did was call the operator and ask her to track Merlin down, beginning by questioning Percy. Then he struggled to concentrate on his work, but his eyes kept searching the room every other minute before he remembered Merlin wasn’t there to be seen.

“Fuck” Arthur called the switchboard again after fifteen minutes without hearing from Miss Wust. He rubbed the strained muscles of his shoulder, which had started to throb. “Any news?”

“Not yet, Mr. Pendragon” the girl sounded apprehensive. “Each person I call directs me to another. It seems he didn’t stay at the same place for long… But I’m still trying, sir.”

“Do better than try, then” Arthur said, rolling his sore shoulder. “Call me immediately when you find him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Arthur scoured his drawer until he found some painkillers, regretting not thinking of bringing the salve Gaius’ send to his apartment last saturday. He opened the cabinet behind his desk, where he stashed his tea bags and the thermos of water, and helped himself to some tea. The water was lukewarm, as was to be expected, but the tea helped to wash the pill down his throat.

Half an hour later, Arthur was pacing his office and fuming. The pain in his shoulder hadn’t subsided, but the drug probably wouldn’t take effect until he relaxed.

At the beginning of the day, his idea seemed terribly funny. Maybe because some part of Arthur wanted to punish Merlin, since he couldn’t get the boy out of his mind through the whole weekend. Maybe because Arthur wanted to prove to him - and to himself - that he had everything under control. Or maybe, yet, he wanted to show off his new acquisition to his friends, display him like a trophy. Or a puppy. _‘Look what I got here, isn’t it cute?’_ Somewhere in his mind, Arthur knew those actions were getting harder to explain, but he preferred not to ask himself questions so he didn’t have to answer them.

But at this point, Arthur couldn’t see any positive aspect of it anymore. What was he thinking? Arthur had pretty much handed Merlin to his friends with a written invitation to make fun of him as they pleased!

“He can’t possibly have just disappeared into thin air!”

“I’m sorry, sir” the operator’s voice sounded childlike on speaker. “But no one else has seen him!”

“Who saw him for the last time?”

“Owain Galle said he went to the HR department looking for Elyan Keller, but Mr. Keller says he never saw him.”

Arthur cursed viciously.

“Mr. Pendragon?” asked the operator, her voice even more high-pitched than normal.

“All right” Arthur breathed thoroughly to calm himself down. “Forget Merlin. Find Gwaine. And let me know-“

“Immediately, of course, Mr. Pendragon.”

Only a few minutes had passed before the operator called again, informing that Gwaine had been spotted in the kitchen about fifteen minutes ago. Arthur didn’t bother to thank her. He rushed off to the lift, grateful for the way people seemed to get out of his way without him needing to say a word. When he entered the kitchen, his heart was pounding fast and loud. He would have readily strangled Gwaine if he hadn’t forced himself to bury his emotions deep in his stomach before quietly closing in.

They were sitting at the bar stools, facing each other. The seats were fixed to the ground, so it wasn’t possible for them to drag it closer, although that didn’t stop Gwaine from leaning over the counter, his body entirely turned towards Merlin’s, watching him closely and expectantly.

“So, you didn’t tell me if you have a girlfriend” Gwaine asked in that lazy - and wily - catlike way of his.

“Oh… No, I don’t” Merlin said, keeping his eyes down to an empty cup, distractedly poking at it.

“Boyfriend, then?” Gwaine pressed, to what Merlin’s shoulders tensed up.

“Um…” Merlin sounded uncomfortable and Arthur acted promptly, both curious and terrified by the possible answer to that question.

“ _Ahem_ ” Arthur cleared his throat and they both spun to face him at the same time, startled. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Gwaine relaxed at seeing him, leaning against the counter behind while looking from one to the other, but Arthur only had eyes for Merlin, whose face rapidly changed from surprise to cold rage. The boy reached for the paper over the balcony and held it right in front of his nose, forcing Arthur to take a step back.

“I should ask you, what the fuck is going on” Merlin said, getting up and shoving the letter at Arthur’s chest. Arthur held it by impulse. “But feel free to pay Gwaine before you answer.”

That said, Merlin stomped off past him to the hallway.

“You…” Arthur pointed to Gwaine’s face nearly hitting his nose before stopping and looking back over his shoulder to the door. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Arthur shouted out for Merlin to hold the lift, but the boy ignored him, disappearing behind the metal doors. Cursing, Arthur repeatedly hammered the button to call it back, but it was too late. He then climbed the stairwell, taking three steps at the time, yelling for people to move out of his way as he glimpsed them ahead. He reached the seventh floor at the very moment Merlin left the CRM’s room, his backpack on his shoulders and a dark look on his face.

“Merlin!” Arthur called and, when the boy prepared to swerve away from him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the - fortunately empty - men’s room. All the while, Merlin tried to break free, to no avail. Arthur pushed him past the door and followed right after, positioning himself between him and the exit while catching his breath, loosening up his tie. “Wait… A sec….”

“Let me out or I’ll scream” Merlin warned and Arthur didn’t doubt he had every intention to do as he said, but he’d be damned if he let Merlin flee.

“Scream if you’d like… But I won’t let you out…”

“Fuck!” Merlin kicked the wall and dropped his backpack to the ground, starting to pace. “I hate you. I fucking hate you!"

Arthur grimaced and held his side, although Merlin’s words hurt more than the stabbing pain in his muscles caused by the excessive and unexpected physical effort.

“I thought you said… you wanted to get to know the company’s… surroundings” Arthur played innocent, receiving a furious look in return. Merlin kept pacing around like a caged tiger. Arthur had to acknowledge he was surprised by the kid’s passionate reaction. “Look” Arthur continued even though he had no idea what to say next. “I just wanted you to blend in and-“

“Oh, fuck you!” Merlin cut him off. “Fuck you, you hear me? I’ve had enough of you playing me for a fool! Isn’t it enough that you made everyone laugh at my back? No one will ever take me seriously after that!”

“Alright, alright” Arthur raised his hand in surrender. “You’re right, of course. I won’t make a fool of you to the others anymore.”

“Sure you won’t. I’ll stop by HR’s to hand in my resig-”

“Oh, no, you won’t” Arthur snarled and it was his turn to sound furious.

Merlin seemed taken aback by his reaction and Arthur couldn’t blame him, having surprised even himself.

“Listen to me” Arthur took advantage of his temporary lack of reaction to take charge of the situation once again. “I will _not_ allow you to hand in your resignation. Even if I have to pick you up every day-”

“You can’t-” Merlin started to argue, but Arthur didn’t let him finish.

“Oh, but I can! I have your address, have you forgotten? It’s in your contract.” and in his head, but Arthur didn’t have to let him know that he already googled the address and knew even the color of the building’s door - a stained green.

Arthur really should get a life outside his office.

“Besides, what would you mother say if you give up on your internship on your own accord?” he continued.

“What?” Merlin squealed, his eyes round. “How did you-”

“Gaius” Arthur said, rolling his shoulders when they started to throb again and watched as Merlin’s eyebrows rose up in understanding.

“But… how?” Merlin asked, back to sounding riled up. “Did he come to you? He promised not to-“

“No, it was nothing like that. It’s a long story...”

“I've got time” Merlin folded his arms challengingly. “My contract says I have to stay until six, right?”

“Let’s go to my office and…”

“Spit it out” Merlin demanded.

“Fine.”

Merlin’s words made Arthur release his breath. Even though Merlin still sounded pretty much pissed off, at least he wasn’t threatening to abandon his internship anymore.

“I pulled a muscle at the gym. I remembered Gaius had this excellent salve for these kinds of things and I called him. I expect he was very careful not to mention your name, but he let it slip at some point and then….” Arthur shrugged.

It wasn’t that easy to get information from the company’s former employee, but Arthur knew how to be persistent when he wanted to and he didn’t let go until he found out everything there was to know about Merlin.

“Well, it wasn’t that long a story” Merlin sneered but Arthur could see his walls slowly cracking. “But you can’t make me stay if I don’t want to. And I can handle with my mother just fine.”

“You’re right” Arthur agreed. “I can’t make you. But you’d be stupid if you gave up on an opportunity like this one. I mean, you _are_ stupid, but not _that_ stupid. People often jump on each other’s throat fighting for an opening at Pendragon, you know? And I’m not even exaggerating. I have a video on my phone to prove what I say.”

“Of course you do” Merlin rolled his eyes, but there wasn’t that much hatred in the gesture anymore and Arthur took that chance to step forward.

“Look, Merlin… Maybe I got a little bit off limits here, but it was meant to be just an innocent prank, a welcome joke. I can assure you no one is going to think less of you because of that. I never had the intention to make you quit.”

Merlin unfolded his arms and ran a hand through his hair. Arthur arched an eyebrow questioningly and Merlin let his arms drop to his sides, rolling his eyes once again. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay. But you’ll have to promise you’ll give me something useful to do.”

Arthur pretended to think before shrugging. “Sure, I can promise you that.”

“No, no, wait. Useful _office_ activities. Consistent to my position here at Pendragon, not whatever you think useful to yourself.”

“Christ, you’re annoying” it was Arthur’s turn to roll his eyes. “All right, but you are not getting away with not buying my tea, if that’s what you’re trying to do. I need it to work properly and, believe me, It’ll be better for you as well if I’m in a good mood.”

“There’s not enough tea in the world to get you in a good mood” Merlin retorted. “And why do you want me to buy you tea if there’s plenty in the kitchen?”

“I’m talking about real tea, not this excuse of a hot beverage-“

“There’s Earl Gray. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”

“But It’s different!” Arthur insisted and he could almost hear Morgana’s voice saying he sounded like a spoiled brat. “Now, I don’t have to explain myself to you. I want my Starbucks and that’s it. Take it or leave it.”

“Whatever” Merlin gave in, taking his backpack from the toilet’s floor. “Is it alright if I take off early today?”

Arthur opened his mouth to object, but stopped himself just in time. He didn’t have any excuses to keep Merlin there for a few more minutes. Or rather, any excuses besides his own selfish reasons.

“As long as you look both ways before crossing the street, I believe there’s no problem at all” Arthur pretended to be unconcerned and cleared the way for him to get out.

Merlin opened the door. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Pendragon” he spoke solemnly.

“Hey, Merlin?” Arthur held the door open.

“Yes?” Merlin turned his way after calling the lift, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders, his blue eyes attentive. He looked so young and frail…

“Call me Arthur. Mr. Pendragon makes me feel like an old man” Arthur grimaced, repressing the impulse to rub his sore shoulders.

“Well, you’re no kiddo” Merlin teased.

“Hey, I’m only ten years older than you!” Arthur said, outraged.

Merlin turned his back on him and entered the lift. “It’s still more than half of my entire life!” he said and the doors closed, leaving a gaping Arthur on the outside.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warnings:** some of Arthur’s actions in this chapter (or the entire fic, really) may be viewed as bullying and stalking. I just want to clarify that I don’t approve nor want to encourage this kind of behavior.


	5. Part 1 - Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 

**6th week**

One month later, Merlin was taking a deep breath to keep himself in check while stuffing a few more paper sheets in the shredder and holding them in place, waiting for the machine to do its job. He glanced from the stack of papers on his table to Arthur, who was speaking on the phone with his brow furrowed while typing at his keyboard. Sometimes Merlin wondered if the man was pretending to work whilst doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku or something like that.

The shredder turned off automatically when Merlin didn’t feed it and he grunted, grabbing one more fistful of paper.

Things had changed in the last month, Merlin had to concede. Arthur didn’t pull any pranks or dismiss the operator in the middle of the shift. But he kept acting as if Merlin was some kind of moron, overcharging him with the most ridiculous and tedious chores. Whenever Merlin reminded him of his promise, Arthur lectured him about looking at the big picture of things and stop focusing on those tasks alone.

This pile of paper, for example, Arthur claimed that the storage dates of these files had already expired and, therefore, they could be considered fire load. For this reason the external auditors recommended it to be destroyed or adequately sent for recycling. Last week, Arthur ordered him to rearrange the whole storage room, given the fact that those millions of decrepit portfolios from the file room carried important documents and needed to be arranged alphabetically so that the analysts could save time whenever they needed to retrieve some of the old project information. On top of that, Arthur was always giving Merlin the most absurd tasks, like when he asked Merlin to remove a sauce stain from his tie. After all, Arthur’s personal appearance was essential to customer relationship since he was one of the Pendragon Consulting’s greatest representatives and, consequently, this simple taint could seriously affect the course of the company’s business.

After the first week of lame excuses, though, Merlin gave up questioning his supervisor’s orders and merely obeyed. He took “urgent” mail to other divisions, took deliveries from the postman at ground floor reception, dropped by the post office, took copies of Arthur’s personal documents, replaced the printer toner cartridges, cleared paper jams… and did it all without any complaints.

After all, it could be much worse. Far worse, indeed.

Like when Merlin had to get gum off Arthur’s shoes. Or when he had to stay on all fours, scrubbing the carpet where he spilled one of the Starbucks’ hot chocolate Arthur kept ordering and _didn’t even taste_. Or when Arthur threw him his car keys and told him to take his car to the car wash.

“ _But I don’t have a license!_ ” Merlin said at the time.

“ _How come?_ ”  Arthur had sounded scandalized.

“ _Why would I get a license if I don’t even have a car to drive?_ ”

“ _For when you have one!_ ”

“ _Well, it’s not gonna happen anytime soon_ ” Merlin had scoffed, throwing the keys back at Arthur, but he tossed them back right away, without giving Merlin time to catch it before it fell to the ground.

“ _Then go to my car, fetch the laundry bag in the trunk and take it to the laundry place down the block_ ” Arthur had stated as if there was nothing extraordinary about it. “ _And stop looking at me like that. I have an important meeting tomorrow morning and I’ll have to take my car to the car wash this evening given that someone couldn’t be bothered to get a driver’s license! You don’t expect me to go naked, do you? No one would be able to concentrate on what I have to say_!”

Gwen was true to her word and cleared a workstation for him at the back of the room, but Arthur wouldn’t hear of it. After a lot of arguing and reasoning, Arthur ended up agreeing that Merlin really needed a desk to himself, but on the condition that Merlin’s table was as close to his office as possible, so that he could, in his own words, keep a close watch on his intern. He never lost sight of Merlin for too long and timed his trips to other divisions.

“ _You have five minutes to take this to Mordred_ ” Arthur would say. Merlin would then try to argue that it was physically impossible, but it would be pointless. “ _You’re wasting your time, Merlin. Four minutes and forty five seconds…_ ” then Merlin would run off, cursing.

“One of these days I’ll do something very stupid, Kilgharrah” Merlin said to his pet dragon - a plastic miniature Gaius gave him at a stage of his childhood when he was obsessed with mythological creatures. The toy stood beside Merlin’s desktop, near two framed photos - one of Hunith alone and other of Merlin with his mother, Gaius and Will, took by Will’s mother last Christmas. He also kept the box of the chocolates Gwaine had given him - some fancy thing that seemed more expensive than the chocolate itself - to use as a trinket box, but it had disappeared the next day and Merlin presumed someone from the cleaning staff must have discarded it, assuming it was some disposable packaging.

“Hey” Merlin was brought back from his sullen thoughts by Gwen’s gentle voice as she approached his desk. “Are you all right?”

“Sure. Why?” Merlin faked a smile.

Gwen was the only bright spot in the whole room. Well, she and Leon, who had come back from health leave a couple of weeks before, his elbow now recovered. Leon was calm and good-tempered and didn’t really disapprove of Arthur's behavior towards Merlin, but neither encouraged it. One time he even scolded an analyst who called Merlin a manservant and threatened to mention that to Arthur, in case the guy did it again.

Arthur could be a pompous, arrogant asshole most of the time, but at least he didn’t allow others to make fun of Merlin or give him chores. He made it clear to everyone that Merlin only took orders from him - like a fucking trained dog.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous” Gwen pulled a chair from the next table and sat in front of him. “I can hear the gears grinding in your head from here. Come on, tell me what’s going on.”

“Oh, the usual, really” Merlin shrugged, making light of his own words. He pointed to the stack of papers on his desk. “You see that? It’s the second pile I’m shredding today. And there’s five times this, back at the file room. Did you know the shredder doesn’t hackle staples? Well, I learned that the hardest possible way and Arthur threatened to make me polish his shoes if I broke the shredder, so I had to take the staples off one by one. From all five hundred million files. And that isn’t all! Last week he made me shred thirty one phonebooks. Thirty one! I wouldn’t doubt if he had gone door to door collecting phonebooks only to the satisfaction of giving me some meaningless task. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely learned some useful skills so far. Did you know you can take gum out of a shoe by holding ice to it? Did you know you can remove pen ink from a shirt cuff using hairspray? I bet you didn’t know that. And it’s a good thing I got to practice alphabetical order at my godfather’s apothecary cause I’ve certainly needed this expertise in here” Merlin had to catch his breath after spilling that all out.

When Merlin turned from the shredder to Gwen, though, he realized she was biting her lower lip to fight back a smile, while sliding the pendant of her necklace from one side to the other.

“Oh, shut up” Merlin said, annoyed.

“Sorry! It’s just that you never complain about anything and suddenly you started to talk and you wouldn’t stop!”

“I’m just tired of this” Merlin turned the shredder off and buried his fingers through his hair. “One more week of this and my brain will rot for lack of use. At college I keep hoping class will take a little longer so I can enjoy the most challenging moments of my day - and I’m talking about sitting and listening through a dull speech about Economic and Social Development.”

“Ouch! I know the feeling” Gwen sounded sympathetic. “You know, I can try and talk to Arthur if you’d like…”

Merlin sighed. “No, don’t bother” he shook his head. “Arthur doesn’t listen to anyone besides himself. I bet he talks to himself just to hear the sound of his own voice. Damn it, he probably just pretends to be on the phone most of the time” Merlin pointed, but Arthur had already hung up and was staring right at them with a dark look on his face. “Fuck” Merlin turned the machine on again. “You should get back to your desk if you want to stay out of trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I have a few minutes to spare” she shrugged. “Hey, you never saw any of our projects, did you? Do you at least know how they work?”

“Only what I gathered from this old stuff” Merlin leafed through a handful of sheets before sticking it into the shredder. “But the most part is from thirty years ago.”

“I can show you one, if you’d like.”

“Really?” Merlin nearly popped an eyeball.

“Sure! The one I’m reviewing right now is-”

“Merlin!” Arthur’s voice made Merlin cringe. Half of the room stopped to stare at him, it happened whenever Arthur opened his office’s door to yell for him. And that happened multiple times, each and every day, so it was only to be expected they would’ve gotten used to it by now. “Come here” Arthur demanded before getting back to his chair, apparently without a doubt his order would be followed unblinkingly.

“Sometimes I feel like ignoring him just to know what he’d do” Merlin said, despite the fact that he was already turning the machine off again and standing up. “I appreciate the effort, Gwen.”

Gwen promised she would show him the project another time, but Merlin honestly doubted Arthur would allow it. He never left Merlin alone for long and whenever he had to step out of his office he sent Merlin on a mission to the post office, or the stationery, or the laundry facility – _anywhere_ , really.

“Have you finished your task?” Arthur asked as soon as Merlin set foot in his office.

“If you’re talking about the files to shred, I think I’ll probably die before finishing it. Of boredom, most likely.”

“So why were you disturbing Gwen?”

“I wasn’t-”

“What were you doing, then?” Arthur broke his squealing off, crossing his arms like a king on his throne.

“We were just talking!”

“Well, you can talk to me, then, instead of getting in the way of my analysts” Arthur said and Merlin would have thought he was poking fun at him if not for the grave look on his face. “Come on, Merlin. I’m waiting” he went on. “ _Talk_.”

“Ok, fine” Merlin pulled a chair nearer his desk and sat down, something – he just realized – he was never invited to do. “Gwen was offering to show me the project she was working on when you called me. But maybe it’s better if you teach me yourself. After all, your perspective as a director must be so much broader then hers.”

“And why would I do that?” Arthur disdained.

“Because you never do something like that!” Merlin lost his temper. “It’s been more than a month since I started here and I still don’t have a clue about how the company works! All I know is because I overheard someone say while I was oh-so-busy clearing paper jams or shredding paper!”

“Why, you went through our entire file room! It’s not possible that you didn’t snoop around. You’re great at sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Fine” Merlin got up. “Great. It’s always so enlightening talking to you, Arthur. If we’re done here, I have to-”

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur muttered through gritted teeth and Merlin fell silent on the spot. “Sit down and shut up, will you?”

Merlin pressed his lips tighter against each other so he didn’t talk back and sat down again.

“Christ, you never stop talking once you start, do you?” Arthur kept complaining while turning off his desktop screen and pushing it aside, rolling his chair closer to the table. “All right, what do you want to know?”

“Everything” Merlin shrugged. “Anything! I know absolutely nothing!”

“You know we provide consultancy services, right?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Right. You can start from that point on. And yes, I know what consultancy means” he gestured for Arthur to go on.

Arthur studied him for a moment as if proving who was in charge there before picking up the phone.

“Miss Wust, hold the calls for a while, all right?” he hung up and put his fingertips together, supporting his elbows on the desk. “Well, as you probably already guessed, everything begins and ends in this division…”

In a dictator tone, Arthur detailed the operational flow. CRM Division was responsible for client prospection, therefore each and every one of the division’s analysts were trained to sell the company’s services. Following the signing of the initial contract, one of the analysts of Analysis Division was assigned to what they called an ‘immersion’ into the organization’s reality. Afterwards, said analyst would meet with the rest of his team for the analysis and compilation of the collected data into a report, which would serve as a basis for a proposal. Said report would be, then, transferred to the Development Division, a multidisciplinary team composed of experts in the fields of Business Management, People Management, Training & Development, Economics, Finance & Controlling, etc. After finished, the proposal was directed to CRM for reviewing and, once approved, it was transformed into a project which would follow to Implementation’s responsibility.

“Obviously, like all the other companies we have business support divisions, such as Marketing & Advertising, HR, Accountancy, etc. But those first divisions hold the essence of Pendragon’s business” Arthur explained, his voice rhythmical and fascinating.

During the whole speech, Merlin could picture Arthur presenting the company’s services to the clients, demonstrating deep knowledge of what he was saying and winning their trust. No wonder he was, as he himself wouldn’t stop banging on about, one of Pendragon’s greatest representatives. But Merlin refused to let his amazement show, especially since Arthur was self-righteous enough without anyone boosting his ego.

“I see” Merlin nodded, tapping his knees and looking around. “Cool.”

“Cool?” Arthur snorted, all his previous professionalism collapsing into smugness. “Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“Actually… In theory it’s quite interesting, but I probably could’ve learned about all that on Google.”

“You-” Arthur started, peeved, but ended up exhaling slowly while still holding his gaze on Merlin, his forehead wrinkled in disapproval. “You’d like to see it put into practice, then?” he asked, in a mockery.

“I’d love to! How kind of you to offer” Merlin answered in the same sarcastic tone.

Arthur curled his upper lip disdainfully, but ended up leaning back at his chair, pulling the computer screen back to the center of the table and turning it on again. “Tomorrow morning I’ll present a proposal to a drugstore chain” Arthur said as he clicked through his computer. “Do you want some tea, Merlin?”

“Tea?” Merlin asked, looking around. “You want me to go fetch it in the kitchen?”

“Open the cabinet behind me” Arthur instructed, his eyes not leaving the screen.

Merlin did as he was told and cursed. “Have I told you you’re an ass?”

“It was one of the first things you told me, actually” Arthur retorted, although he didn’t seem to put too much weight in those words.

“I suppose I’ll have to make my own tea, then?” Merlin said sarcastically.

“Make it two.”

Merlin rolled his eyes but didn’t say a thing while making two cups of Earl Gray. When he finished, he placed one of them on Arthur’s desk and was about to get back to his chair when the man stopped him.

“Come here. Take a look” Arthur spun the monitor just enough for Merlin to see it and pushed his own chair to the side, to give him some space. Merlin leaned on to read the file while Arthur sipped at his tea.

“Um… Can I?” Merlin pointed to the mouse, putting his cup down on the table.

“Be my guest” Arthur conceded. Merlin scrolled through the document, scanning the main topics. “I’d offer to send you the file, but it’s confidential. By the way… Hold on a sec” he picked up the phone and dialed Morgana’s branch. “Morgana, does Merlin have a corporate email address?” he muttered something next. “Yes, of course, good afternoon to you too…”

Merlin stopped paying attention to their bickering and continued running through the document with keen interest, still bended forward, his tea already forgotten. He only realized Arthur had hung up when everything went quiet all of a sudden. He turned to look at his supervisor’s face, who looked at him thoughtfully and quite disconcertingly.

“So?” Merlin asked, his cheeks heating up.

“Oh, right…” Arthur blinked a few times, reaching for a pen and fiddling with it. “Well, Morgana said you have an email account” he picked up a notepad and scribbled some address and a series of numbers. “This is your temporary password, you’ll have to change it at first access” he ripped off the note and held it out, dropping his pen to the ground. “Shit.”

The pen rolled down the table and, without a second thought, Merlin kneeled to reach it. “I got it!” He stated triumphantly. When he withdrew from under the table and straightened his back, though, he realized he was kneeling right between Arthur’s legs.

As if in a haze, Merlin’s eyes slowly travelled through the length of the muscular legs outlined by the tailored trousers, following past the promising volume of his groin and up across his broad chest until he reached his face. Arthur’s lips were slightly parted in surprise, his blue eyes opened wide.

Then Merlin caught some movement behind Arthur, through the glass, from where one of the analysts – the most gossipy of them all, Sophia Feix – stared at them, dumbfounded.

“Oh, fuck” Merlin cursed, rapidly got out of his stupor and stood up, his face burning from embarrassment. “Um… your pen” he said, turning his eyes back to the computer screen before tossing the pen on the desk like it was on fire.

Meanwhile, Arthur had pushed his chair further back before getting up, putting some space between them and gesturing to the empty chair. “Don’t just stand there, you idiot” he said as if the seat had been vacant all along. “You’ll get a sore back, bent over like that.”

“Oh, there’s no need to” Merlin declined, backing away as well. “I can read it later. You’ll send it to me through email, right?”

“Right. Of course.”

From opposed sides of the room, they faced each other for a while in bewilderment. Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin saw Sophia slowly backing off, without ever taking her eyes off them.

“I’ll go… Um… back to my desk” Merlin fumbled with the words. “I have a stack of papers to go through which definitely won’t shred by itself.”

“Right” Arthur nodded, looking at everything but Merlin. “And I’ll… send the file so you may read it whenever you can. Just make sure not to… copy it or replicate, you know… that sort of thing.”

“No problem” Merlin agreed and hurriedly left.

As soon as he was back to his table, Merlin stared at the pile of papers for a while without really seeing it. He could still visualize, in his memory, the exact outline of Arthur’s body: the legs spread apart, making a clear path to his crotch; his flat and firm stomach; the way his button down shirt caught to his pecs in a telltale way; his rosy, plushy lips parted; his eyes darker that usual…

Merlin blinked a few times to focus his vision and turned to face his dragon. “What the hell was that, Kilgharrah?”

Regardless of knowing somewhere deep down that Arthur was an attractive man - very attractive, if he was to be honest -, Merlin hadn’t truly paid close attention to him since the very first day. Not like that. After all, Arthur was a jerk most of the time. And old! He was almost thirty years, for God’s sake! Merlin wouldn’t be caught messing with guys his own age, let alone with older man! Not to mention the fact that Arthur was his supervisor. And straight, most likely – his hurried and grumpy reaction pretty much attested it. For all Merlin knew of Arthur’s personal life, he could very well live with his girlfriend in a penthouse apartment, as well as a couple of Shih Tzus and a cockatoo named Valkyrie. The last thing Merlin needed was to have a crush on him, of all people.

Merlin shook his head as if to put his thoughts back in place while he discretely adjusted another shameless part of his anatomy and turned the shredder on. He forcibly stashed that trail of thought in a forgotten compartment of his mind, under lock and key. He didn’t have time to deal with this now - or ever, if possible.

.Merlin.

**7th week**

Arthur counted to ten. When that didn’t solve his problem, he counted backwards. It didn’t make any difference either. Arthur’s eyes lifted up without permission and there stood Merlin, across the room, bent over one of the opened drawer of a filling cabinet, his backside turned towards Arthur.

“Damn” Arthur spun in his chair till he faced the window so he could adjust himself in his pants to accommodate his erection. By the looks of thing, it wouldn’t subside anytime soon.

Arthur heard a noise and, when he looked again, Merlin had knocked down half of the drawer’s contents. Merlin raised his hands to his head, his lips moving in a curse before he bended in half again to pick it up.

“Damn it. Damn it. Damn it...” Arthur mumbled, breaking into sweat.

He was ready to start counting to one hundred, if that’s what it would take, when Merlin pulled a lollipop out of his pocket.

“Enough of it!” Arthur rose up, put his jacket on - he’d rather sweat than suffer any embarrassment because of his traitorous body -, took his car keys and opened his office’s door. “Merlin!” he called out and, when the boy didn’t react, shouted louder. “ _MER_ lin!”

The whole room turned to face him, some of them straightening up to peek over the partitions, but Merlin kept distractedly collecting the papers scattered on the floor.

“What on earth?” Arthur asked, annoyed.

“I think he has his earphones on” Gwen started to get up. “Do you want me to-”

“Stay where you are” Arthur commanded, crossing the room in large strides and stopping before Merlin. He crossed his arms and waited to be noticed.

It wasn’t one of his brightest decisions, Arthur had to admit, since it placed his groin precisely at Merlin’s eye line. When Merlin looked up, face still mostly turned down, eyes round, cheek bones highlighted and cheeks hollowed as he sucked on his lollipop, Arthur swallowed hard.

_Don’t look down, don’t look down… Christ, Merlin, don’t you dare look down…_

But Merlin never took his eyes off Arthur’s as he removed the earphones¹ first and then took the lollipop out of his mouth. “Did you say something?”

“Thank God, I was starting to think you'd gone deaf as well as dumb!” Arthur mocked. “What on earth are you doing?”

“You asked me to organize the cabinet!”

“And instead of that you messed it up further! Christ, Merlin, can’t you do anything right?”

“Hey!” Merlin reacted, finally getting up, but Arthur was in no condition of hearing whatever he had to say.

“Shut up and go do something useful” Arthur held out his car keys. “Fetch the suit on the trunk of my car and take it to the laundry.”

“But-”

“Dry-cleaning, don’t forget. If you ruin my Desmond Merrion, believe-me, you won’t be able to pay for it even if you gave me all of your payment for the rest of your contract.”

Merlin blinked, looking from the key to its owner. “You mean now?”

“No, saturday after eleven” Arthur said, sarcastic. “Of course I mean now! I’ll need the suit this weekend” he lied.

Actually, he was saving that task for when he had to leave the office for some appointment. He couldn’t stand the idea of leaving Merlin behind at the mercy of the others when he couldn’t keep an eye on him, making sure no one would take advantage of the boy’s good will. No one but Arthur, obviously.

“But… what about this?” Merlin gestured widely to indicate the mess of scattered papers and file folders.

“I’ll deal with it.”

“You’ll deal with it” Merlin disdained and Arthur rolled his eyes, taking one step back avoid strangling him. Or worse.

“Don’t be daft, _Mer_ lin. I’ll assign someone better qualified for the task, since it’s clearly beyond your capabilities. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and send you back to the warehouse.”

“Yes, My Lord” after a mocked bow, Merlin took the car keys from Arthur’s hands and stomped out.

Arthur looked around. “What are you looking at? Don’t you have work to do?”

In the next moment, the analysts where back to their business. Except for Sophia Feix, who came closer to him.

“I can help you with this, if you let me” she offered and Arthur examined her from head to toe.

She was short but used high heels to compensate it. She was also wearing a short skirt suit and her eyelashes were so long it couldn’t possibly be natural. She was definitely not dressed for the job. In fact, Arthur was just thinking about calling HR and borrowing some other intern for a few minutes to deal with that mess, but…

“Feel free” he allowed, turning his back on her.

When Arthur got back to his desk, he took a deep breath, stretching his neck. He’d have preferred not to send Merlin away, but he really needed to finish that presentation and he knew he wouldn’t be able to it with the boy around.

That was starting to get out of control. Arthur was always very possessive of his belongings, since he was a child. Morgana often used that against him, holding his toys hostage to get what she wanted from him. At school, when he had a crush on someone, he had to control himself not to jump down the throat of whoever dared to go near the object of his affection. But he’d learned how to control his impulses, as the years went by, and had become a more tolerant person. He was proud of himself for respecting the privacy of his girlfriends.

At least until Mithian cheated on him with his building’s former doorman. Maybe that had made Arthur fall back to his worst instincts. He hadn’t got involved with someone since then to put that theory to test, though the fact that he couldn’t stand anyone even looking at his interns that way should have made him question it earlier.

But that was far worse than anything Arthur experienced before. When it came to Merlin, Arthur completely lost his mind! All it took was someone glancing vaguely at Merlin’s direction to put his senses on alert. If someone so much as talked to him, Arthur would feel an incontrollable urge to snarl like a rabid dog. If Merlin smiled to said person, then – and, to Arthur’s displeasure, Merlin was very given to smiles –, Arthur’s blood would boil in his veins. Even if it was only Gwen, who Arthur knew to be madly in love with Lance.

Gwaine was the worst of them all, though. Arthur had lived enough with his friend to know that, rationally speaking, it was nothing personal. Gwaine was the kind of guy who flirted with his own shadow, he simply couldn’t help it. The problem was that, whenever Gwaine came near Merlin, all his reasoning skills abandoned him and Arthur had to restrain himself not to fall upon his friend. When Gwaine gave a chocolate box to Merlin the other week, Arthur barely prevented himself to shove the whole box down Gwaine’s throat. Arthur then waited till Merlin was gone so he could take the box and throw it in a dumpster outside, where no well-intentioned soul from the cleaning staff could ever retrieve it.

Damn it, Arthur would probably disapprove of his own shadow, in case it dared touch Merlin.

Whenever Merlin checked on his phone for some incoming text, Arthur imagined himself marching to him, yanking the damn thing from his hands and throwing it out the window. Too many times, Arthur had thought of “accidentally” ruining the photograph Merlin kept on his desk, where he had his arms around a boy with straw-colored hair, wide smile and a freckled nose – when questioned about it, Merlin had said it was his childhood friend and Arthur made sure of committing that face to his memory in case he stumbled upon the kid one of these days. Arthur couldn’t stand even that bloody dragon toy Merlin seemed so found of and would have got rid of it either if he didn’t suspect Merlin would be heartbroken if he did it.

At first, it was easy to blame that on his natural possessiveness. After all, Merlin was his intern and Arthur felt entitled to exercise his authority towards him – Leon used to say that leading was his calling and Arthur never really felt tempted to contradict him. But since Merlin had stayed on his hands and knees in his office to scrub the carpet, a couple of weeks before, Arthur started to run out of excuses for the embarrassing situation he found himself in most of the time now.

And Merlin didn’t have to do much for his body to react. Lately, all it took was a simple smile and Arthur would curse and hide his crotch from the vigilant eyes of his analysts, outside the glass walls. It was like being on display at a shop window with a huge and undisguisable erection.

Arthur was brought back from his own thoughts by Leon knocking on his door.

“Come in” Arthur said and pretended to be focused on his presentation.

“Hey” Leon said, taking a seat. “Are you all right, Arthur?”

“Fine” Arthur answered automatically, but then turned to his friend, suddenly worried. “How about you? Are you doing your physical therapy?”

“Oh, sure” Leon flexed his arm to prove what he said. “I’m great, really. The physio says my recovery is above average for my age.”

“And you let him call you old to your face?” Arthur joked.

Leon smiled. “Well, I’m thirty five now. I’m not that young anymore” Leon narrowed his eyes. “Is this what’s getting to you? An early midlife crisis?”

“Midlife? How dare you, you…” Arthur crumpled a sheet of paper off his notepad and tossed it at his friend, pretending to be amused by the commentary. Leon didn’t have to know that the fact that Arthur wasn’t in his early twenties anymore was bothering him a lot, lately.

And Arthur knew exactly who was responsible for that.

“Okay, I take it back” Leon raised his hand in surrender. “You’re as childish as ever.”

“Now you sound like my sister” Arthur mocked and was puzzled by Leon’s reaction when he cleared his throat and averted his eyes. Before he could comment on it, though, Arthur saw a commotion past his friend’s shoulder, at the back of the room, through the glass wall. “What’s going on out there?”

“Oh…” Leon didn’t bother looking back. “Feix is putting on a private show.”

Arthur straightened his back, watching as Sophia bended forward to pick up the spread out files, the hem of her skit moving improperly up. Apparently, she had persuaded some good souls to help her with the task – all men, who spent far more energy pretending not to look at her legs then actually helping.

“And why aren’t you there watching the show?” Arthur asked, regarding his friend with a suspicious look.

“Oh, well” Leon shrugged. “I’m her boss.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him. Leon became fidgety.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Leon?”

“I could ask you the same question, Arthur” Leon retorted, seeming to regain control of the situation. “Why aren’t _you_ watching the show?”

“I’m the company’s director” Arthur said, unabashed. “It wouldn’t be very professional on my part either, would it?”

“Right” Leon conceded, although he still looked suspicious. “And how about Merlin?”

“What about Merlin?”

By the way Leon stared at him, perhaps Arthur’s reaction was a bit quicker than necessary. And maybe harsher than reasonable too.

“Well, whatever is bothering you, you shouldn’t take it out on Merlin. I don’t believe he’ll accept you treating him like that for much longer. Let alone in front of everybody. And, unless it’s what you want to happen…” he trailed off.

“What? You think I want him to resign?”

“I don’t know!” Leon shrugged. “You tell me.”

“No, of course I don’t want him to resign!”

“Alright! I believe you!”

Arthur left the silence stretch for a moment while considering his friend’s words. Only a few weeks had passed since Leon returned to work, so he couldn’t have witnessed that much, or even participated on the welcome prank. Still, Arthur didn’t have any doubt that he would have heard all about it from the others.

“All right” Arthur gave in. “Let’s say that, hypothetically speaking, I was really crossing the line – something, let me be clear, I strongly disagree with. In this case, what would you suggest me to do in order to make sure Merlin wouldn’t feel tempted to leave? Hypothetically speaking” he repeated just to reinforce the statement.

“Well, I suppose you should assign him some more complex activities” Leon spoke carefully. “Gwen ensures me he is pretty smart.”

_Of course Merlin is smart_ , Arthur thought to himself, but tightened his jaw shut before he could voice it. _As if there was a chance I wouldn’t know that! Who do you think you are to tell me that? Who does Gwen thinks she is to-_

“Gwen” Arthur arched an eyebrow. “You’ve being talking to Gwen about this?”

“Yes, I have” Leon admitted, with dignity. “Gwen said he pointed out some mistakes in a couple of old reports he just happened to read at the storage room. She said they talked a lot about Economics, one day and-”

“One day?” Arthur pressed. “I don’t see how they could have had the time to ‘talk a lot about Economics’ during office hours.”

“Um…” Leon seemed to be trying to remember. “She mentioned something about the both of them going out after hours. I think it was the day before Elyan’s birthday. Merlin wanted some help to find a gift for him or something like that…”

“Right” Arthur said, crumpling another sheet off his notepad just for the pleasure of destroying something.

Arthur chose not to think about the fact that Merlin had a life outside Pendragon, because… Well, because that was simply unthinkable: that Merlin had college friends with which he would go out to drink, smiling that carefree smile of his without Arthur even suspecting. The fact that he could have a… No, Arthur forbade himself to even consider the possibility of Merlin having a girlfriend - or boyfriend, even. Arthur was taking serious risks of losing his mind irreparably in case he admitted that possibility.

Arthur mentally added Elyan’s name on his blacklist – he’d have to be included between Gwen and the dragon toy – and moved on.

“Keep going” Arthur encouraged and Leon nodded.

“You could let him join Gwen, one of these days. Or any of us, actually. He could attend a meeting with one of us, for example. Or help with the presentation and the equipment. That way he could feel useful, not to mention get to know more of our daily activities.”

“Anything else?” Arthur asked, slightly ironical. The idea of letting Merlin go out with Leon or Gwen didn’t seem very attractive.

“I haven’t given the subject much thought, really” Leon admitted. “But, if you’d like more suggestions, Gwen and I could-”

“That’s enough for now” Arthur broke him off before he was forced to add Leon to the blacklist too. “I’ll take your suggestion into consideration, thank you.”

Arthur didn’t truly have the time to take any of that into consideration, at the moment. After Leon left his office, he took cake of finishing his presentation before Merlin could come back and completely ruin his concentration again.

When Arthur looked up from his desktop again, he was exhausted but pleased with the outcome of his work. He rubbed on his eyes and looked around. Apparently, Sophia had already finished organizing the cabinet. Arthur searched for the analyst and found Gwaine leaning over her desk, pouring out his charm. Arthur smiled to himself. Maybe sending Merlin away to the laundry was an even better idea than he had anticipated, if it meant preventing  Gwaine from flirting with the boy right in front of him.

With the pretense of stretching out his legs, Arthur went to the man’s room. He was so distracted with his own thoughts he didn’t notice when someone joined him.

“Is this why you get so worked up whenever I go near Merlin?”

Arthur tensed up at Gwaine’s words, but pretended not to care. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Gwaine” he stated while zipping up and flushing, avoiding his friend’s reflection at the wall mirror as he washed his hands.

“I just had an interesting chat with Feix.”

“And?” Arthur inquired finally staring at Gwaine when he didn’t volunteer any more information.

“She told me something about compromising positions and husband-wife bickering-”

“What?” Arthur asked, genuinely confused.

“She swears she got the impression Merlin was blowing you one of these days.”

“What-? How-? Who would-?” Arthur stuttered, his brain short circuiting. “That’s ridiculous! He’s just a kid!”

“Really?” Gwaine cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms. “Is that your only argument?”

“No, of course it’s not! It was nothing like that! He was just- I wouldn’t be stupid to- Why, I don’t have to account for anything. Especially not for you” Arthur didn’t know if he was more annoyed at his friend, at Feix or at himself for sounding so pathetic.

That was the most embarrassing moment Arthur could remember since Merlin started his internship. Arthur had never seen Merlin so disconcerted before. The panic in his face at realizing the position he got himself into was visible and only that detail had prevented Arthur of getting hard at seeing Merlin on his knees, almost at his mercy. Arthur would never admit, not even under torture, that he had jerked off to that memory every day since then.

“Funny, you haven’t mentioned once that he isn’t your type” Gwaine pointed out. “A while ago, the first thing to come out of your mouth would’ve been that you’re not gay.”

“That’s exactly the point. I’ve made it very clear in the past, therefore I don’t have to keep repeating myself” Arthur said and, if he got lucky, Gwaine wouldn’t have noticed his brief hesitation before.

“Don’t you?” Gwaine mocked, which meant Arthur wasn’t lucky at all.

“Gwaine” Arthur started again, trying to sound reasonable, for once. “I’m twenty eight years old. You really think I would turn gay now?”

“No one ‘turns’ gay, Princess” unlike Arthur, Gwaine managed to sound reasonable effortlessly, although it wasn’t something he did frequently. Gwaine shrugged off. “Only there isn’t the right age for you to learn more about yourself.”

“What?” Arthur asked, skeptical.

“Maybe you’ve just found out the missing… incentive. I particularly think it impossible for anyone to resist an incentive like our Merlin, but I may be biased.”

“Our Merlin? He’s not _our_ Merlin!”

There were many details that bothered Arthur in Gwaine’s speech, but that single word kept echoing deafeningly inside his skull.

“Now you’re gonna tell me you’re not being jealous?” Gwaine said, sarcastic.

Arthur shook his head, disguising his aggravation with disdain. “I’ve never heard so much bullshit in my entire life!”

“It’s not bullshit and you know it” the seriousness in Gwaine’s eyes was so unusual Arthur had to look away.

“Gwaine?”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you mind your own business?”

“Fine!” Gwaine raised his hand, taking a few steps backwards to the door. “I’ll mind my own business. Can I ask you if you're coming with us tonight or would it be too nosy on my part?”

Arthur sighed. Every friday, the guys would meet at The Rising Sun to have drink and socialize. Arthur didn’t usually skip, but unfortunately he had a commitment that night and it wasn’t something he could easily escape from. Not this time.

“I can’t. Family dinner.”

“Well, in that case… have fun!” Gwaine said and left. Before the door closed behind him, though, Arthur heard his voice coming from the hallway. “Good afternoon, Mr. Pendragon!”

“Shit” Arthur cursed, examining his own reflection and correcting any imperfection – the slightly crooked tie, the fold of his shirt’s collar, the fit of his jacket – before he left the men’s room.

“Father!” Arthur pretended to be surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Gwaine took advantage of his arrival to step back, ready to sneak out at the first chance.

“Your secretary didn’t seem to know of your whereabouts” Uther explained with his eternal disapproval forehead wrinkle, as if he had no obligation to explain his actions but was too polite to state it. “I thought I’d wait for you here.”

“Come to my office, then” Arthur invited, but Uther didn’t move to follow him.

“Actually, I have a very busy schedule today” he checked his watch. “I only stopped by to tell you I’ll have to cancel dinner” Arthur watched Gwaine’s victory dance out of the corner of his eye before he gave up on the lift and disappeared towards the staircase.

“What a pity” Arthur struggled to stay serious. “Did something happen?”

“My doctor called me to say there’s been a cancellation this afternoon and offered to anticipate my procedures, so I don’t know what time I’ll be coming home.”

“Procedures?” Arthur didn’t have to fake his concern, this time. “Is there something wrong?”

“Everything’s fine, it’s just routine checkup” Uther assured with a disregarding gesture. Morgana was quite inflexible when it came to controlling regular health examinations of Pendragon’s employees and she wasn’t any less ruthless to Uther, requiring him to schedule his checkups annually under the argument that no one would invest in a company whose owner didn’t take care of his own health. “We’ll move it to next week.”

“Sure. No problem” Arthur nodded. “Do you want me to tell Morgana?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble” Uther was about to push the elevator button when the door to the lift opened up.

“Oh, Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed, his face lighting up by seeing him.

Apparently, Merlin had been playing with the car keys, throwing it in the air so that he’d catch it before it could fall down. Arthur’s relief at noticing Merlin’s mood had improved considerably, though, was tainted by the apprehension that filled him up. Uther was observing gravely while the boy got out of the lift, extending the keys to Arthur.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’ve got everything under control. I’ve already put your-” before Arthur could make any kind of gesture to tip him off, Merlin seemed to realize Uther’s presence on his own as he trailed off. “Um… I’ve already put the… equipment you asked me to” he amended, looking from Uther to Arthur and scratching the back of his head. “To… um… monday’s presentation?”

“Merlin” Arthur cleared his throat feeling an overwhelming wave of gratitude towards the boy. “This is my father, Uther Pendragon” he introduced. “Father, this is my intern, Merlin Emrys.”

“Your intern?” Uther asked, an unbreakable expression on his face, and Arthur regretted his choice of words. He should have said “our intern”, in that corporative way Uther used to talk, or “the division’s intern”, which would be more appropriate.

“Um, nice to meet you, Mr. Pendragon” Merlin held his hand out politely, blushing at the look Uther gave him - probably cataloguing his dirty trainers, his beaten up denim and that hideous brown coat he insisted on wearing.

“Likewise, Mr. Emrys” Uther shook the stretched out hand while holding the lift open. He excused himself and got in the elevator, sending a last questioning look at his son before the door closed.

“Wow, that was awkward” Merlin slumped his shoulders. “Is it just me who’s feeling like I failed some kind of test?”

“No, it isn’t just you” Arthur assured.

“My shirt's not inside out, is it?” Merlin looked down at himself, worried, and then smelled his sleeve. “I probably smell like petrol. Is there something in my teeth?” he showed his perfectly lined teeth to Arthur.

“ _Mer_ lin?”

“What?”

“Shut up” Arthur said and Merlin pressed his lips tight, nodding. His hair had grown a bit through the last couple of months, disguising his big ears. His fringe was longer too, some locks of unruly hair reaching his eyes. Dear God, he looked so young like that! So innocent!

“What?” Merlin asked after some time and only then Arthur realized he’d been staring at Merlin unblinkingly.

“I’m just curious” Arthur crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why did you make up all that talk about the equipment?”

“Well, I figured you wouldn’t want everybody to know you’ve been sending your intern to do your laundry” Merlin pursed his lips, shrugging. “Although it isn’t as if you hadn’t given the order to the whole division to hear, earlier, so… Honestly, I don’t know why I bothered. I can go after your father, if you want me to, just so I can clear up this misunderstanding right now and-” he started to back off, but Arthur grabbed him by the collar of his coat.

“Don’t be stupid, Merlin” Arthur pushed him through the hallway towards CRM room before changing his mind and pressing him against the closest wall. “Now stop fooling around and get back to work.”

“I’m not the one fooling around here.”

“What did you say?”

“I said your voice is always so nice to hear!”

“That’s what I thought.”

.M.

“What are you doing here?” Will said, slumping back on the stool behind the counter and retrieving his phone – he had slipped it quickly in his pocket at hearing the doorbell ring.

“Oh, it’s always nice to be welcomed!” Merlin said, sarcastic, leaning on the counter. “Where’s Gaius?”

“Here in the back!” came Gaius’ voice. “Just one moment, Merlin.”

“Okay” Merlin watched as Will stared at his phone’s screen, seeming highly entertained. “Watching porn?”

“Of course not, you asshole. I’m working!” Will shouted back and then continued in an urgent whisper. “Will you shut up?”

“That’s a yes, then” Merlin whispered back.

“Where are you going?” Will asked, putting his phone inside his pocket again and standing up to examine him from head to toe, arching his eyebrow in such a way that would’ve made Gaius proud.

Those were the best clothes Merlin had, so it was no wonder why Will would have assumed he was going out. “I’m going to the pub with the guys from Pendragon” Merlin tried to appear nonchalant, but didn’t sound very convincing at his own ears.

Gwaine had been inviting him at least once a week to go to the pub since he started his internship. Merlin always made up an excuse not to go and Gwaine pretended to believe him, but that was starting to get a bit embarrassing. That afternoon, though, when Merlin stopped by HR to get his paycheck, Gwaine had pulled him to the side and they had the most serious conversations Merlin ever had with the man.

_“I’ll ask you a question and I want you to be honest, okay?”_ Gwaine had said looking him straight in the eyes. _“Are you avoiding going out with us because of me?”_

_“What? No, I-”_ Merlin had tried to evade the question but Gwaine interrupted him.

_“Look, if that’s the reason, then you don’t have to worry about it. I don’t take myself seriously most of the time. And, I’m not lying, I’m into you, but I’m also into half of the Earth’s population, so…”_ he shrugged, resuming to his usual teaser tone. _“If you’re not interested, I’ll be fine.”_

After that, Merlin didn’t have the heart to say no. Hunith had pretty much kicked him out of the house after Merlin informed her that he was going out with some friends and stated that he shouldn’t worry about the time he would get back. When someone’s mother starts do order her son to go out to drink with his friends, it certainly suggests that said person should review their social life – or the lack of it, most likely. But that didn’t mean Merlin was comfortable enough to arrive early at the pub, so he decided to stop by Gaius’s to kill some time, after being shooed out of his house by his own mother.

“Oh, no…” Will groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Even you are going out tonight and I’m here, working, on a friday night!”

“Oh, I really appreciate the support” Merlin said, ironically, but Will ignored it, holding Merlin’s arm like he just remembered something.

“Morgana will be there, won’t she? Maybe I could stop by after I’m finished here, then? Oh, man, I think I’m getting sick… Gaius!” he placed one hand at his stomach and feigned nausea.

“If you throw up on my balcony, you’ll have to clean it up later” Gaius said as he left the store room, pointing an accusatory finger at his employee.

“Jesus, how heartless can you be?” Will complained. “I bet if someone died while working for you, they’d have to burry themselves!”

The doorbell rang when a customer came in.

“William, go assist the customer” Gaius instructed. “Merlin, why don’t you help me with this?” He waved the box of medical supplies in his hands.

Merlin accompanied him to the opposed side of the shop, happy to be of some assistance. He offered to climb the small ladder, but Gaius rejected the offering, as he always did. His godfather knew how scared of heights he was, but Merlin didn’t feel really bothered by climbing a few steps.

“Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” Gaius asked from the top of the ladder while Merlin passed some bottles for him to accommodate on the shelves.

“Oh, I’m definitely still mad at you” Merlin assured, even though he didn’t believe his own words. He had ignored Gaius since his godfather broke his promise about not telling Arthur about their connection, but more than one month had passed since then and Merlin could never hold a grudge for too long. “But what’s done is done.”

“Why, it can’t have been that bad…” Gaius considered.

“That’s not the point. The point is that Arthur found out more about me in a week than I’ve found out about him in almost two months” he mumbled, then narrowed his eyes at Gaius. “Hey, you know what would make me forgive you? You could tell me some of his dirty!”

“Dirty?” Gaius frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know, something embarrassing like… he snores like a pig or… has hemorrhoids… or worse, has the complete Twilight collection – books and DVDs²!”

“Not that I know of” Gaius said, not seeming to give it much thought. “Actually, Arthur has always been a hardworking boy, since he was a kid. Uther wouldn’t have accepted him at the company otherwise. And Arthur insisted on climbing one step at a time, beginning by his internship and-”

“What?” Merlin nearly popped an eyeball. “Arthur was an intern at Pendragon?”

“Yes, a number of years ago. He worked only during college breaks, though.”

Merlin tried to picture a younger Arthur clearing paper jams but it was too surreal even for his overactive imagination.

“Who was his supervisor?” Merlin asked, genuinely curious.

“His uncle, Agravaine du Bois” Gaius said. “I don’t know all the details of what happened, but those two never got along very well after that. Not to mention that Agravaine was asked by Uther to leave the company shortly after Arthur graduated. Apparently, one of the company’s clients reported him for unethical behavior.”

Well, that probably explained where Arthur got that distorted view of internship supervision.

“What did he graduate in?” Merlin handed Gaius the last phial of the box and held the ladder firmly while his godfather reached out to the top shelves.

“Business Administration, by Oxford. He got into a couple other post graduate programs after that, but I can’t remember exactly which ones” Gaius scratched his chin while examining his work. He nodded to himself and began to step down carefully. “Arthur was signed as an assistant at Analysis Division and stood out within a short time. Then he spent a few years at Development Division, as an analyst. Soon after, he became manager of one of the Implementation’s teams. Actually, he only got nominated as External Relation’s Director last year.”

“Oh, wow” amazed, Merlin followed Gaius as he dragged the ladder to organize another shelf. While it was all very admirable, it was also a little depressing. Arthur didn’t seem to have a life beyond his work. “And what else does he do lately, besides working?”

“I honestly don’t know” Gaius admitted. “I know he likes sports, especially football. He used to carry his boots around so that he could play after work with some of his colleagues. I don’t know if they still do that, but he has a lot of good friends at Pendragon. You probably know some of them by now: Leon, Lancelot, Gwaine, Mordred, Elyan, Percival…”

“Yes, I know some of them” Merlin said finding it unnecessary to elaborate the exact circumstances he met them. “What else?”

“He used to spend summer weekends at Uther’s cottage, in Newbury.”

“What about his mother? I don’t remember anyone ever mentioning her.”

“She died giving birth to him.”

“Oh…” Merlin raised his eyebrows. “Does he have any friend outside Pendragon? Any girlfriend?”

It took a while for Gaius to answer the question, as he checked the expiration dates of the products and Merlin found himself more antsy for the reply than he expected to be.

“Girlfriend? He had a couple of girlfriends, yes. There was Elena, from Marketing, with whom he went out for some time. But she left the company a few years ago. She moved out to France, if I’m not mistaken. Then there was Mithian. She had hired Pendragon’s services to her father’s business and Arthur was the one who did the analysis of the company. I believe it was shortly after Elena moved out. They dated for quite some time. Actually, I thought they would end up married. But then something happened… I don’t know what, to be honest. All I know is that he was devastated” Gaius shook his head and stepped down again. “Poor kid. He is the kind of person who doesn’t get involved with that many people but, when he does, he is quite devoted…”

Merlin frowned, struggling to match that person Gaius was describing with the Arthur he knew. The effort made his head hurt.

“How long has it been since they broke up?” Merlin asked after a brief pause, reluctant to drop the subject.

“Not that much” Gaius shrugged, looking around like he was trying to remember. “It was soon after I retired, I believe. I had just opened the shop when he came by to see it. We spent hours talking” he frowned. “He didn’t say anything about girlfriends last time we talked, but I didn’t ask him either. Hey, are you going somewhere?” Gaius assessed his godson as he had just spotted him.

“He is going out with the _Pendragon_ guys” Will had approached them without being noticed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Merlin looked at himself. “I’m not that different from when I go to college or to the office.”

“You don’t usually wear gel in your hair to go to collage” Will folded his arms, suspicious. “And you only wear these boots and this ballerina pants when you want to impress someone. Is there anything you’re not telling me, by any chance?”

“Of course not” Merlin disdained. “And these aren’t ballerina pants! These are skinny jeans! And my trainers are wet, if you really must know.”

“Well, anyway, this coat is still as awful as always” Will shrugged. “Actually, I always thought fashion awareness was a requirement to being gay.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my coat” Merlin brought said coat closer to his body, as if protecting its feelings. “It’s just a bit old, but it’s still warm and comfortable.”

“Merlin” Will put a hand on his shoulder. “Your coat isn’t just old. It died of old age. It’s been dead for a while now, actually.”

“Send my regards to Arthur, Merlin” Gaius said, having moved away to stash the ladder while they both argued.

“Oh, okay. But I don’t think he’ll go to the pub today. He doesn’t seem like the kind to mingle, anyway.”

“And take my coat, for fuck’s sake” Will said, following him to the door and taking his dark gray coat from the hanger, holding it out to him. “You’ll thank me later, when you get laid by whoever it is you’re dressing for.”

Merlin opened his mouth to object, but gave up. He hung his own coat and changed to Will’s. At least it wasn’t filthy or reeking of sweat. Merlin slipped his hand inside the pockets and retrieved a pair of condoms, looking at Will with a cocked eyebrow.

“Oh, you can keep them too. I won’t be able to pull anyone while wearing your coat, anyway. Ouch!” he held his shin where Merlin kicked him. “Hey, I’m only trying to help, you ungrateful sucker!”

.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warnings:** mention of Arthur’s past relationships.  
>  **¹** He’s listening to _Ariana Grande – Focus_.  
>  **²** I don’t intend to make fun of anyone, especially since I have the books myself xD


	6. Part 1 - Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 

When Merlin arrived at the pub it was already past nine. He secretly hoped they had moved the meeting somewhere else already, but his wish wasn’t granted. He found Percival first, as it was only to be expected. Gwaine was by his side but had his body twisted back, probably flirting with someone at the next table.

The group was about a dozen people, all of them talking, laughing and gesturing animatedly. By the amount of empty cups, bottles, plates half empty and by the redness of their faces, Merlin gathered they had been there for a while, now.

He was almost turning around to leave when Gwaine spotted him and called everybody’s attention to his arrival, as Merlin sheepishly moved closer. Elyan was about to pull a chair close to him when Gwaine beat him, whistling to call Merlin’s attention and pointing to the empty chair by his side – which, apparently, he had kept empty by trusting his word that he’d show up.

“Hey, I was wondering if you had agreed just to get me off your back” Gwaine said, getting up to greet him by putting one arm on his shoulder and bringing him closer.

“What’s he doing here?” asked a familiar voice and Merlin felt his stomach twist in a knot as he faced Arthur, who was gritting his teeth and holding a bunch of bottles by their necks. Arthur and Lancelot, apparently, had just made a trip to the bar counter for a new round of drinks.

“I invited him” Gwaine tossed his hair to the side, keeping his hold firm on Merlin’s shoulder. “Any problem with that,  Princess?”

“This is no place for teenagers” Arthur said, gesturing largely with the bottles until someone took them and put them safely on the table. “Does your mom know you left home at this hour, Merlin? I bet you left through the window so she wouldn’t see. Come on, go back to your mother before she goes and checks your blanket didn’t fall off or something.”

“Oh, quit nagging, Princess” Gwaine rolled his eyes. “Leave the boy alone” he turned back to Merlin. “Take a seat, I’ll get you a drink.”

Merlin sat down, resisting the urge to divert his eyes from the piercing look in Arthur’s face. But it was Arthur who shifted first when Leon got up to say something to his ear. Still clearly crossed, Arthur straightened his jacket like a sulking child before sitting down on the opposite side of the table. It was odd to see Arthur wearing casual clothes. He looked younger like this, in dark jeans, V-neck shirt and leather jacket and Merlin allowed himself to make a mental note about how fit the man was without his suit. Yet he had a posh, snobbish air about him that only someone like Arthur could carry in a pub, with a pint in hand.

“I’m so glad you came” Gwen called his attention, leaning over Lancelot to come closer to him. “Well, you’ve already met Lance, right?”

“Good to see you, Merlin” Lance offered his hand to be shaken. “And next round is on me, all right?”

“Have you met the others?” asked Gwen and Merlin nodded in response, accepting their greetings one by one. There were some unknown faces, like Kara, Mordred’s date, and two girls from Marketing who he hadn’t been introduced to before, but he soon found out their names were Morgause and Nimue.

Throughout the exchange, Merlin kept aware of Arthur’s eyes on him, while nodding to something Leon was saying.

“Here. I’m finally paying my debt to you” Gwaine put a bottle in front of Merlin but, before he could get his hands on it, Arthur leaned over the table and grabbed it, taking it away from his reach. “Hey!”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Arthur asked, examining the bottle’s label closely.

“It’s just beer!” Gwaine exasperated. “Honestly, Arthur!”

“Merlin’s not old enough to drink alcohol.”

“Hey! I’m eighteen!” Merlin said, outraged. “And it’s not like you haven’t seen my ID!”

“And who’s to say it isn’t fake?” Arthur shrugged. “To me you’re nothing but an overgrown kid.”

“Arthur, be reasonable…” it was Percival who said that with such kindness that it hardly fit his threatening stance.

“I am being reasonable! I’m responsible for him!”

“Only at work” Elyan offered.

“Not even at work” Gwaine mocked.

Apparently knowing he was outnumbered, Arthur gave the bottle back to Merlin, although reluctantly. “If it was up to me, you’d spend the whole night on soda” Arthur stated. “I’m watching you, don’t you forget it.”

But it wasn’t like Merlin could forget it when Arthur didn’t seem to take his eyes off of him _for even a second_! Merlin wiped his forehead, wondering if he was imagining the cold sweat dripping from it.

No, he wasn’t imagining it.

By his side, Gwaine wouldn’t stop talking. He was already pretty drunk, since he kept putting his hand on Merlin’s knee. Merlin kept taking it off, but he didn’t seem discouraged by it, continuing with the gibberish. Percival followed their chat with only half of his focus, adding something here and there, rectifying some of Gwaine’s overstatements and even holding his pint in place whenever Gwaine hit it with an exaggerated gesture.

When Merlin’s beer was about to end, Lancelot showed up with another and Elyan after him. In the meanwhile, Arthur had shoved two cups of water and a platter of fries at Merlin’s side of the table mumbling “Drink it!” and “Eat it!” in a commanding tone, even though Merlin wasn’t exactly tempted to disobey. For this reason, Merlin wasn’t that tipsy after his fourth beer, but was desperate to go to the toilet.

The problem was Gwaine wouldn’t stop talking to him.

“-can’t believe you haven’t gone to any of the UCL’s parties!”

“I haven’t” Merlin assured. “I was underage when I got to college and now… Well, I’m not that close to any of the guys in my year…”

At first, they used to invite him to go out saying no one checked IDs at the pubs they used to go nor asked too many questions and assured there’d be no trouble. But Merlin always made up something, saying he had to work or that he would be travelling by the weekend or that he had already made plans with his boyfriend – this last one was the most effective excuse of them all, Merlin soon found out. As time went by, they quit inviting him and Merlin felt nothing but relief.

“Oh, they’re some snob rich guys really” Gwaine agreed. “But I never truly cared.”

“You went to UCL?” Merlin asked, surprised.

“Hey, why are you looking at me like that?” Gwaine sounded wounded. “I might not show off, but I’m quite brilliant, myself. You tell him, Percy!”

“I wouldn’t go that far” Percy mocked.

“Hey!” Gwaine said indignantly.

“Maybe when you’re not thinking with your dick” Percival shrugged. “The problem is you’re always thinking with your dick.”

Gwaine shrugged too. “No, I didn’t go to UCL. I went to Oxford, like Princess here” he pointed to Arthur with his pint. “We used to attend all parties, from all universities.”

“Leave me out of it” Arthur said from the other side of the table, confirming Merlin’s suspicion that he was following the conversation closely.

“Those were the good years” Gwaine ignored him. “I only spent the night unaccompanied if I wanted to. And guess what? I never wanted to!”

But Merlin wasn’t particularly interested in who Gwaine spent his college nights with. At the moment, he was trying to picture a younger and breezier Arthur at a college party. Across the table, Arthur rolled his eyes and Merlin had to bite his lower lip not to smile. He took the opportunity to look around, searching for any indication of the loo.

“By the way, how do you get laid if you don’t go out?” Gwaine inquired, sounding intrigued.

“Um…” Merlin swallowed hard.

“Wait…” Gwaine turned to face him and Merlin felt himself blushing even brighter just by realizing he couldn’t hide his own flushed face. “You’re not a virgin, are you?”

Merlin cursed, sinking in his chair, making himself as small as he could while staring at his own bottle. He promised himself not to look any of them in the eye ever again because Gwaine, as it seemed, didn’t know how to keep it down when he was drunk.

“Oh my God, you are!” Gwaine concluded, scandalized.

“Gwaine!” Gwen scolded and Merlin pressed the bridge of his nose, cursing the very moment he accepted Gwaine’s invitation. He could almost feel the others staring at him, especially Arthur. In fact, he was surprised by the fact the man hadn’t made any comment on the subject yet but he didn’t have the courage to peak at him to have a clue about what he was thinking of the entire scene.

“Oh, no, Gwen! Don’t you get how serious this situation is?” Gwaine kept going, getting up and making a scene of placing his beer down at the table. “Alright, Merlin, we’re going to the loo right now to fix this.”

Merlin felt the panic overcoming him and was about to tell Gwaine to _fuck off_ when he heard Arthur’s voice, strong and powerful. “Gwaine!” as Merlin raised his eyes, he realized Arthur had stood up too. He had a dangerous look on his face, which caused a cold shiver running down Merlin’s spine, one that didn’t have anything to do with the amount of alcohol he'd consumed. “You’re coming with me. _Right now_!” Arthur circled around the table and pulled Gwaine by his coat, making him wobble out of the pub.

With round eyes, Merlin watched through the glass window while Arthur pointed to Gwaine’s face and delivered what seemed to be a heated reprimand, his anger blatant by the way he narrowed his eyes and tensed his jaw. Gwaine seemed to gradually shrink until his head was buried so deep inside his coat Merlin could only spot the top of his hair.

“Don’t worry about him” Percival said calmly, following his gaze. “He’ll be sober now.”

“I need to go to the loo” Merlin got up without waiting for a response, bumping into some passersby as he made his way to the men’s room.

When the door closed behind him muffling the outside noise, Merlin took a deep breath, straightening his back as he realized he wasn’t alone there. After pissing endlessly, he washed his face off some of the sweat without minding his fringe being soaked while at it. He was in serious need of a haircut but wasn’t particularly keen on feeling the bite of the cool air on his ears and nape. Maybe when the weather began to turn warm.

Knowing he couldn’t hide in there forever, Merlin slipped his hands in his jeans’ pockets and came out. Gwaine was sitting in his chair again seeming considerably sobered up, as Percy said he would be. Arthur was standing, debating something with Leon and…

“Morgana?” Merlin exclaimed at seeing her and he had to rethink his concept that Arthur was the only human being capable of that finesse look even in a simple outfit and a common environment like this. It was probably a family trait.

“Merlin! So nice to see you!” she smiled, using the excuse of saying hello to him to let Leon and Arthur deal with whatever it was that made them look at each other heatedly like that.

Merlin returned Morgana’s hug while his eyes met with Arthur’s and watched as the man’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

“And when did you intend to tell me?” Arthur addressed Leon and Morgana at the same time.

“We’re telling you now” Morgana rolled her eyes, getting back to Leon’s side. “After all, it’s not like I needed your approval to go out with someone.”

“You do if that someone is my best friend!” Arthur folded his arms, turning to Leon. “At least I consider you my best friend, but now I see it’s not mutual.”

“I’m sorry, Arthur… I really intended to-” Leon sounded truly remorseful, but Morgana interrupted him.

“Don’t you dare apologize, Leon. Honestly, Arthur, stop making a scene. I don’t want to be late for-”

“Hey, Merlin” Merlin turned to face Gwaine. He had a tense smile on his lips and a tiny wrinkle between his eyes. “I’m sorry about earlier. I might have gotten a bit carried away. I do that sometimes.”

“It’s all right” Merlin relaxed, smiling to Gwaine. “I won’t hold it against you. Honestly.”

“Thanks” Gwaine patted his back but then his eyes got fixed at some point behind him – Merlin knew he would find Arthur’s gaze if he turned around, so he didn’t dare to. Gwaine rolled his eyes, sticking his hands inside his trousers’ pockets, and then pulled a face. “Oh, man, you’ll never agree to go out with us again, will you? All this work…  wasted!” he joked, the tension between them now completely gone.

“Oh, I don’t get scared that easily” Merlin shrugged. “But I think that’s it for tonight.”

“Sounds fair” Gwaine nodded and stepped back after glancing behind Merlin’s shoulder once again. “See you monday, I guess!”

Merlin took a deep breath before turning around, meeting Arthur’s impassible eyes. Morgana and Leon were already gone.

Merlin sighed and shook his head then bid farewell to the guys, moving to the pub’s door, which Arthur held open for him. Once on the sidewalk, Merlin stopped to take a look around, bringing Will’s coat closer to his body while Arthur stood at his side, mirroring his actions. Across the street, Morgana and Leon were getting into a cab. There was a group of people ahead of them laughing and shouting while debating on where to go next. For them, the night was only beginning.

“You know” Merlin started. “Not that you asked me or anything, but I’d rather have solved things with Gwaine by myself, with no one to meddle.”

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me” Arthur mocked. “I know you’re perfectly capable of calling a cab on your own but please allow me to do it for you.”

“Actually, I’ll take-” Merlin raised his voice but Arthur already signaled to the closest car, which stopped in front of them “-the tube!”

“Don’t be stupid” Arthur dismissed his words, holding the vehicle’s door open and gesturing for Merlin to get in. “Ladies first.”

Merlin snorted and resisted the urge to count the money in his wallet before getting in. At the very worst, he could ask the driver to stop after two blocks. He was preparing to stick his head out to say goodbye when Arthur shooed him to the side. “What are you waiting for? Move!”

Merlin jumped to the other side and observed, dumbfounded, while Arthur joined him, closing the door and saying the address to the taxi driver. _Merlin’s_ address!

“What are you doing?” Merlin asked, too stunned to sound offended.

“I’m taking you home, obviously” Arthur disdained. “And don’t look at me like that. It’s late. It’s not safe for a kid like you to walk around by yourself.”

Merlin gaped at him for a moment, completely speechless. “You’re a complete and utter… clotpole, you know?”

“What the hell is a clotpole?”

“You are.”

“If that’s your attempt at sounding like an adult, I suggest you try again.”

But Merlin was too angry to listen to the provocation. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me, least of all you! I can perfectly take care of myself! I know it’s hard for you to accept this but I survived until now without you to rescue me from bandits and rapists.”

“Only because you never found any” Arthur retorted. “If you did, you’d probably smile and invite them to stop by your house and take the rest of your belongings!”

“Oh, is that so?” Merlin mocked. “And who is to say you’re not trying to take advantage of me, then? You even memorized my address! Do you know how disturbing that is? For all I know about you, you could very well be a pervert trying to seduce me!”

Merlin had to grasp the car seat not to fall on top of Arthur when the taxi made a bee line on the street, as if the driver had momentarily lost control of the car.

“Oh, shut it, _Merl_ in!” Arthur said as soon as he regained his voice. “If I were trying to seduce you, you’d have given in a long time ago!”

“What?” Merlin squealed and Arthur moved to cover his mouth with his hand but Merlin beat it away. “You arrogant, idiot, dollop headed… prat!” Merlin punctuated every word with slaps and punched on Arthur’s chest.

“Hey!” Arthur held him firmly and the fact that he didn’t seem to be making any effort to do it made Merlin even more enraged.

“Let me go!” Merlin shouted. “I hate to break it to you but you’re not that irresistible! And you’re too _old_ , on top of it all!”

“I’m not fucking old!”

“Besides, who told you I like men?” Merlin took advantage of Arthur’s distraction to try and free himself, but to no avail.

“Well, do you?” Arthur asked, their faces mere inches away, their breathing heavy by the struggling.

Merlin blinked, opening his mouth and shutting it up again. Damn.

Arthur suddenly dropped his hands and Merlin folded his arms, looking outside the window, only then realizing the car had stopped. Not at Merlin’s house, but in the middle of the busy street while the other cars passed by them honking angrily.

“What are you- Christ, are you calling the police?” Arthur said and Merlin was about to ask him what the hell was he talking about when he realized the driver was holding a communicator.

The man raised his hands to the air at hearing Arthur’s voice, like he had a gun pointed to his chest. “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot!” the man pleaded in a thick accent, pointing to a photograph taped to the car’s panel. “My family needs me!”

“What the fuck?” Merlin nearly popped his eyeballs at the same time Arthur shouted. “No one’s got a gun here. For God’s sake, Merlin! Tell him! Tell him not to call the police!”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, um...” Merlin came closer to the driver, who was shaking so much he was chattering his teeth. Merlin took a deep breath and smoothed his voice. “What’s your name?”

“R-Ravi” the taxi driver said looking from Merlin to Arthur.

“Okay, Ravi. I’m Merlin. This is Arthur. I’m sorry if we startled you but everything is fine, believe me! Arthur is an asshole but he isn’t a dangerous one, alright?”

“Are you s-sure?” the man signaled with his eyebrows as if giving Merlin a chance to call for help without Arthur seeing it.

“I’m sure” Merlin smiled, trying to sound reassuring. “No one’s got a gun here, you see? And I could easily disable this prat here with one karate chop, if I needed to. All right?”

The driver looked from one of his passengers to the other before nodding, lowering his hands and putting the communicator away.

“Thank you, Ravi. Now why don’t you pull over so we can get out?” Merlin suggested, figuring the man couldn’t wait to get rid of them.

Ravi agreed right away, stopping by the curb. Arthur paid the man, said he could keep the change and apologized before stepping out of the car. Merlin had barely closed the door when the cab skidded away.

Merlin and Arthur faced each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, causing some of the passersby to look at them, probably wondering what kind of drug they were on. As soon as the rush of adrenaline died out, though, they went serious again.

“Oh my God we almost gave Ravi a heart attack!” Merlin said, running his hand through his hair before covering his own mouth in shock. “He could have crashed or something!”

“And I could have gotten a criminal record!” Arthur’s eyes went round.

“Um... I think I’ll walk home from here. Actually, I don't think I’ll ever set foot in a cab again for the rest of my life!” Merlin put one hand on his waist and scratched the back of his head with the other. “But feel free to…” he pointed to a free taxi, which passed by them slowly.

“Don’t be stupid, Merlin” Arthur shoved his hands inside his pockets and began to walk. “What are you waiting for? Come on!”

Merlin rolled his eyes but followed him down the sidewalk. They remained in silence for some time, looking around. It was past eleven and there weren't that many pedestrians on the avenue, but the traffic was still very busy.

Merlin tried to come up with something to say but it felt like a wall had come up between them. When he slipped his hands inside Will’s coat pocket, his fingers brushed the condoms and he almost cursed out loud, blushing. Feeling increasingly apprehensive, Merlin remembered the last words they exchanged in the cab and bit his lower lip, suddenly feeling queasy.

“Do you have a problem with it?” Merlin finally asked while they waited for the traffic light.

Arthur looked at him, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Does it bother you that I’m… gay?” Merlin elaborated, unable to look at him for too long.

Arthur’s confusion gave way to annoyance. If he’d taken a little longer to answer, Merlin thought he would’ve been sick. “Merlin, I don’t know if you got the chance to meet a friend of mine, Gwaine?” Arthur said, at last. “Do you think I would hang out with him if I had a problem with that?”

“I know, but…” Merlin shrugged, turning to see if the lights had turned green. “He's your friend and I’m... well… not.”

“I don’t have a problem with it, Merlin” Arthur assured without facing him as they crossed the street.

Merlin breathed the cool air deeply, feeling more nauseous by the moment, wondering how honest Arthur was being. They went silent for a bit while advancing, looking everywhere but at each other. The night was cold but not too badly. It wouldn’t take long for the summer to begin. Merlin could hardly believe it had already been nearly two months since he met Arthur.

“So…” it was Arthur who started, this time. “Do you have a boyfriend or something?”

“As if” it was Merlin’s turn to mock. “Didn’t you listen, by any chance, when _your friend_ Gwaine shouted that I’m a virgin for the _whole pub_ to hear?”

“That doesn’t mean anything” Arthur shrugged off. “You could be saving yourself for when you get married… And don’t look at me like that, some people still do that and who are you to judge them?”

Merlin, who had halted to stare at him, gaping, caught up to him within a few steps. “Are you saving yourself for marriage, Arthur?” Merlin teased.

“Of course I’m not” Arthur rolled his eyes. “But quit changing the subject. I asked you a simple question-”

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’ve never dated anyone, actually.”

Merlin was fourteen when he kissed someone for the first time. A girl, as it happens. Freya had just been transferred to his school and was having a hard time blending in because of the rumors of an eating disorder that followed her. Merlin had approached her out of pity, at first. And perhaps because he felt connected to her, since the other kids used to make fun of him for a variety of reasons – his thinness, his nerdiness and especially his ears. But they ended up very close, at least until Freya announced that her parents were moving out of town the next week. Confused about the sense of loss of his first real friend, Merlin kissed her. But the kiss was nothing like he anticipated and they both agreed they never would’ve worked out as a couple.

A few years later, on his last day at that same school, Daegan – a guy from his literature classes – pulled him to a hidden corner, after classes, and snogged him for what seemed like hours. When Daegan finally let him go, Merlin was lightheaded and stunned, his legs wobbly and his heart racing. Deagan gave him his number but Merlin never had the guts to call him.

Arthur’s voice yanked him back to present time. “So, that boy in the picture on your desk…? With Gaius?” he added at Merlin’s questioning look.

“Will?” Merlin pulled a face. “Eww! No! He’s my friend, I already told you!”

“All right! I was just asking!”

They reached an intersection and turned right. By this point, Merlin wasn’t sure who was leading whom. Arthur didn’t seem lost but Merlin couldn’t fathom how he could be familiar with the surroundings. Having left the busy avenue behind, all they could hear for a while was their own footsteps.

“How about you?” Merlin broke the silence. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No. No one” Arthur said placidly, as if stating he was pretty satisfied with the way things were. “I haven’t gone anywhere but the office, the club and the gym, lately.”

“I know exactly how it is. Except I don’t go to the gym. Only college and the office.”

“So that whole karate thing in the cab…?” Arthur stared at him arching an eyebrow.

“Complete and utter bullshit, yeah” Merlin acknowledged. “But I can still kick you in the nuts so think twice before you come any closer.”

Arthur threw his head back as he laughed.

“I’m serious!” Merlin insisted. “People like me aren’t approached that often by robbers, you know? They just know it’d be a complete waste of time. Don’t ask me how they know it.”

“Must be the clothes.”

“Oh, shut up” Merlin shook his head. “But there was this guy once who tried to take my backpack. I was heading to the tube and this guy came out of an alley with a knife in hand, looking from one side to the other and threatening me, stumbling on his own words. I don’t know what crossed my mind, you know? I didn’t have anything of value in my bag, only a couple of books and my student ID, but I guess I panicked at thinking I would have to get another ID. I kneed him and ran off, clutching my bag to my chest. I don’t even know if he tried to chase after me but take a look at these legs” he looked down at himself. “He must have realized he didn’t stand a chance.”

Stopping for a moment, Merlin watched Arthur smile, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and allowed himself to be filled with self-satisfaction. Arthur had a very beautiful smile. With those clothes and the softness of his features, Merlin could easily forget the man was almost thirty years old. He felt his stomach sinking suddenly at the thought, his smile dying out slowly while he looked around them.

“Come on, we’re almost there” Merlin called and they resumed walking.

They reached Merlin’s street, which was deserted at this time of night. Arthur assessed the surroundings, probably looking for a cab, but Merlin knew there wouldn’t be any. He was about to say just that when Arthur pulled his phone out of his pocket and made a call, giving the address to the taxi driver.

“It’s here” Merlin pointed to his building’s door, suddenly very conscious of the fading green of the painting. “Do you want to wait inside?” he offered, already anticipating what Arthur would think of his cramped apartment, with its washed out wall painting from too much cleaning Hunith insisted on doing to wipe out the dirty spots; the sofa with its ripped out cushions, which his mom covered up with crochet; the scorched carpeting where Merlin accidentally set it on fire, a few years ago… At least the curtains were new, but they were kept drawn to hide the staining on the window painting.

“No, thanks” Arthur declined and Merlin breathed out, relieved. “Your mother must be sleeping already, anyway.”

Merlin nodded his agreement. A few weeks ago, she would probably be still at the restaurant, washing dishes. But Merlin had managed to convince her of accepting a fair share of his paycheck to help with the expenses, even if she made sure he kept some amount to himself. He didn’t have that many expenses at college, making do with the library’s books and computers whenever he could, but he had been saving some money to buy her a present for her birthday, in the following month, and maybe even to take her out to dinner.

“Merlin…” Arthur sounded a bit unsure. “I’m sorry about what Gwaine did.”

“Oh” Merlin was caught off guard. “Don’t worry about that. You don’t have to apologize for him.”

“Right” Arthur took a deep breath, avoiding his eyes. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t used to apologizing for himself let alone others. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. At the pub, in the cab… It’s just that I… I really feel responsible for you. You don’t seem to drink that often, so I… got worried you’d-”

“Hey” Merlin interrupted him, positioning himself in front of him and searching his eyes. “It’s alright. I appreciate your concern.”

Arthur’s shoulder slumped lightly and one corner of his mouth lifted up in a tiny smile as he raised his hand, placing it heavily at Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin stared at his soft, rosy lips while their smiles died out slowly. Merlin only noticed he was unconsciously leaning forward when Arthur’s stretched arm kept him in place. Merlin cleared his throat and pretended to shift his own weight from one foot to the other to cover up the movement.

Arthur dropped his arm immediately and stepped back, facing the street when they heard a car approaching.

“Oh, I almost forgot” Merlin remembered, grateful for having something to say. “Gaius sent his regards.”

“Oh, sure” Arthur nodded. “I should probably call to thank him for the salve. It was great, really. Quite effective.”

“Oh, he is amazing with those kinds of things” Merlin had a feeling he was about to start to babble but was incapable of helping it. “Once, when Will and I spent a whole day playing at his pool, we had sunburns and he went to his yard and chopped off a leaf of a plant which looked like some kind of cactus and smeared its stinky slime on our backs and shoulders and faces… There was nothing that could take off that awful smell afterwards, but at least it didn’t blister. Another time, when I was little, I had urinary infection and he forced me to eat raw garlic all day long. I was reeking for a week but the infection never-”

“Merlin?” Arthur interrupted him when the car stopped in front of them.

“Shut up” Merlin finished for him, swinging on his own feet.

“You’ve guessed it” Arthur tapped him in the back. “Now go inside.”

Merlin climbed the steps to his front door listening to the sound of the car door slamming shut. When he turned back to close the door, the cab was already leaving.

“Shit” Merlin knocked his head on the door. “Stinky slime, Merlin? Garlic reeking? You stupid dork!” he reproached himself then leaned on the wall, staring at his building hall, where the only decoration consisted on an oval-shaped wall mirror and a drying plant pot.

He still couldn’t believe he almost kissed Arthur! His supervisor, Arthur! The same prat who sent one page at the time to the printer, making Merlin go back and forth to his office to pick up his files; who made Merlin wipe his desktop screen with a flannel in the middle of the evening so that the gathered dust wouldn’t damage his sight; who tossed random things at him without any previous warning and then mocked his total lack of reflex reaction.

Merlin must be going soft in the head, it was the only reasonable explanation.

He sighed at hearing the creaking of a door upstairs and began to climb the stairwell, feeling the fatigue taking hold of him with each step.

.Merlin.


	7. Part 1 - Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

  


**8th week**

Arthur counted himself as a very professional person. After all, he'slived in an office since a very young age. Even before he started to work – or even intern – at Pendragon Consulting, Arthur liked visiting his father’s company. Uther never had that much time for him, always speaking at the phone, locking himself inside rooms filled with men in suits and making long business trips, but he always allowed his son to walk freely about the office, as long as Arthur didn’t get in the way of any of his employees.

Arthur’s life had always revolved around Pendragon Consulting. He didn’t care about anything else and not even his interest in football or videogames surpassed his dreams of becoming a successful executive like his father. His friends didn’t seem to understand his sense of duty, of commitment, but Arthur couldn’t blame them for that either. They had other priorities, after all. And didn’t have to carry the burden of being an heir to an international corporation on their shoulders.

Maybe that was the reason why Arthur got involved with Mithian, in the first place. She was very much like him in that aspect of things. As the only heir to her father’s multinational business, she had prepared herself to, one day, take up the company’s presidency and Arthur was definitely awestruck by finding someone who understood him, who had the same priorities he had. Mithian didn’t compete with the company for his attention, like Elena used to do. She didn’t get upset when Arthur had to cancel his plans on short notice because of some pressing matter at the office. She was the perfect girlfriend.

Until she wasn’t anymore.

Arthur could still remember the day he caught her with Henry, his former doorman. Rather than explain herself, she had thrown accusation on top of accusation against Arthur, saying he didn’t know how to appreciate a woman, saying she was never more than an accessory to him, so on and so forth. In the end, what hurt the most was that, even though she hadn’t demanded the same things his exes had, she ended up punishing him for it anyway. Arthur went through a dark stage after that, promising himself he wouldn’t get involved with anyone ever again, since it wasn’t fair to subject someone to that kind of relationship when he knew his first priority would always be his father’s company.

Although, until then, Arthur had never thought it possible to lose his focus on his job because of someone. Or restructure his daily schedule so as not to lose sight of said person unless it was strictly necessary. Or even spend the whole weekend trying to guess what they’d be doing, what they’d be thinking, with whom they might be, if they’d be smiling…

“Christ, Arthur! Pull yourself together!” Arthur rubbed his eyes before turning to look at the desktop screen, struggling to regain his focus.

The truth was the whole weekend hadn't been enough for Arthur to absorb everything he had discovered about Merlin last friday. And about himself, he had to admit. Especially since he couldn’t have spent the whole weekend thinking about his intern while masturbating and yet insist on being straight. Sometimes Arthur even daydreamed, remembering Merlin’s face next to his own while they waited for the cab in front of his building, his shining lips slightly parted, the way the streetlight cast shadows below his cutting cheekbones… If it wasn’t for the arm Arthur had kept outstretched at Merlin’s shoulder, holding him at a safe distance from himself, Arthur’d hardly have contained his overwhelming desire to kiss him senseless.

Despite his recent epiphany, none of that facts changed anything to Arthur, in practical terms. After all, what difference did it make to know Merlin was gay and was available if Arthur didn’t have any chance whatsoever and probably never would? In addition to the fact Merlin was much younger than Arthur and the hierarchical connection that featured their working relationship, Merlin had made it very clear that Arthur wasn’t his type. Arthur could still feel a mixture of annoyance and disappointment whenever he remembered the way Merlin had said Arthur wasn’t that irresistible, on top of being too old for him.

And who could blame him for it? Merlin deserved much more than Arthur could ever offer him, in terms of a relationship. He deserved someone younger, less heartbroken. Someone better than him. Merlin was just a boy. His family’ financial condition, his premature college admission and the way he had to assist his mother with the household spending certainly had made him more mature and responsible than most kids his age. But he was still just a teenager and, as such, it was only natural that he’d be interested in people his ownage, who’d hang out in the same places he did, have the same kind of interest, share similar experiences and…

Dear God, Merlin was avirgin!

Every single time Arthur remembered that tidbit, his brain short-circuited and he had to virtually slap himself for it to properly function again. Function like an _adult_ brain, for fuck’s sake.

Arthur had lost his virginity at the age of fourteen, after the penalty shot that handed his school team victory and a girl from the school's field hockey team had made it her personal duty to reward him. Yet, only by picturing someone dragging Merlin underneath the bleachers, kneeling before him and pulling down his pants, Arthur nurtured some viciously murderous thoughts.

“Excuse me” Merlin’s cheerful voice brought him back to reality and Arthur blinked, stunned, looking from Merlin to the time display at the right corner of his computer screen.

“Oh, bollocks” Arthur cursed, annoyed. He’d completely lost track of time to the point of missing Merlin’s arrival time!

He never missed Merlin’s arrival time. Ever.

“Um… sorry” Merlin said, misinterpreting his reaction as he put the Starbuck’s bag on top of Arthur's desk before stepping backwards. “I didn’t want to interrupt you. I just came in to give you-”

“No, it’s not about that” Arthur rubbed his tired eyes once again. “Damn it, I had so much to be done this morning! It’s already afternoon and I haven’t even donehalf of it!”

“Um…” Merlin shoved his hands at his pockets, swinging at the balls of his feet. And shrugging his shoulders. “Can I be of some assistance?”

“I need my tea” Arthur reached for the bag, retrieving his cup without bothering to peek at the rest of its contents. He hadn’t eaten yet, but had scheduled a late lunch with a client, and that’s why he found it best not to nibble so he wouldn’t spoil his appetite. He shoved at the package. “You can keep it.”

“Okay” Merlin pouted, but accepted it anyway. “Anything else?”

“In fact, there is” Arthur said after sipping at his tea, forcing himself not to look at Merlin’s pouty lips before his body started to react. He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat.”

Merlin stared at him for a moment, tilting his head to one side like he was measuring him up. “Right” Merlin allowed, taking his backpack off his shoulders and placing it and the Starbuck’s bag in one of the seats before settling down at the other in that floppy way of his: his shoulders arched forward like he was trying to look smaller. His loose clothes didn’t exactly improve the big picture. Arthur kept calm drinking his tea while watching Merlin’s nervous squirming. “Um… How was your meeting today?”

“Meeting?” Arthur asked without taking his eyes from the boy's lips and, consequently, having some difficulty processing what he was saying.

“You mentioned you had a meeting this morning, right?”

“Oh, right” Arthur woke up from his daydream, reprimanding his own traitorous mind for taking him to a much more private place than this glass office, with a much less dressed Merlin, heavily breathing, face flushed-

Arthur cleared his throat and put his cup down, pulling his chair closer to his desk so he could support his forearms. “The meeting was rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon” Arthur started again, his voice huskier than usual. “Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, Merlin. I’ve been thinking of taking you out with me” he pretended not to notice Merlin’s eyebrows rising up in astonishment and kept talking in a casual tone. “You know, to help me out with the equipment and with the presentation. But…” he paused for effect, arching an eyebrow as he assessed Merlin from head to toe.

“But?” Merlin inquired, leaning forward.

“I’ll need you to dress better than…” he worked his chin as if pointing to him. “Better than _this_.”

“Oh!” Merlin lowered his eyes to his own clothes and his shoulders slumped. “Oh…”

Arthur took a deep breath, pulling his wallet out from his drawer. He was fully aware that it could go very, very wrong, but he couldn’t see another alternative at the moment. For this reason he made sure of looking bored as he offered him his credit card. “Here” he said and Merlin stared at him warily.

“What’s this?”

“A credit card, Merlin. I know you probably never got your hand on such thing but you'vesurely heard of it before. You can buy decent clothes with it.”

“I have decent clothes!” Merlin sounded offended and his face got an angry shade of rosy.

“I’ve already seen all of your outfits, Merlin, and they are appalling” Arthur lied. After all, Merlin had dressed himself fairly well last friday night. And the very memory of Merlin in tight jeans and boots - which made his legs look even longer - turned his mouth drier and his pulse dangerously faster.

When Merlin crossed his arms in front of his chest, a furious look upon his face, Arthur sighed and put the card on the table, sliding it closer to the boy. Merlin certainly knew how to ruin the moment.

“Look, you wanted to know more about ours business, didn’t you? Well, I’m giving you an opportunity to accompany a procedure since the initial contact with a client. But I can’t afford losing a deal because my intern doesn’t know how to dress himself properly!”

Arthur new he was pushing too far and the outraged expression on Merlin’s face only confirmed it, but he figured Merlin would never admit he didn’t have the money to replenish his whole closet and, if the only way around it was hurting his pride in terms of his fashion style instead of his financial situation, then he was willing to take the risk.

“I know how to dress myself!”

“Then prove it” Arthur gestured for the card.

Merlin’s look went from outrage to horror in one blink. “Have you lost your mind?” Merlin got up and for a moment Arthur thought he was about to leave his office never to come back, but Merlin just pressed his lips together and paced around the room. “I can’t accept clothes from you! I’m not your… your… boy toy!”

“Merlin…” Arthur pressed his eyes shut, cursing himself for the mental image evoked by those words.

“Besides, what would my mother say?” Merlin kept walking around. “I can’t just get home with a bunch of new clothes without her noticing it, you know? Especially since she does my laundry-”

“ _Mer_ lin?” Arthur shouted causing Merlin to halt and face him, eyes rounded. “Sit down.”

Merlin slumped back to his chair, his mouth moving although no sound came out of it. Arthur didn’t have to read his lips to guess what he was mouthing.

“Who says I’m offering you clothes _for free_?” Arthur said, to what Merlin raised his head, suddenly alert. “Think of this as a… payment in advance.”

“From your personal credit card?” Merlin mocked, squinting his eyes at him.

“Yes, from my personal credit card” Arthur straightened his back nonchalantly. “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities for you to pay me back in the future.”

Merlin’s eyes almost popped out of its sockets, his mouth opening in a perfect “o” as he flushed pink.

“What… _Mer_ lin…!” Arthur pressed his eyeballs with his thumb and index finger, making a silent prayer before supporting his arms on the table again. “It’s nothing like that, you idiot! Christ, Merlin, what kind of person do you think I am? First you make that accusation in the cab, now this!”

Maybe Arthur had fantasized about calling in sexual favors from Merlin all the time, but he wouldn’t be capable of insinuating that kind of thing! And the fact that Merlin was even considering the possibility made Arthur feel dirty in a way he never felt before.

“Then what is it?” Merlin asked, looking embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. “You’ll have to be more specific if you want me to accept your ‘loaning’.”

“Listen…” Arthur took a deep breath. “I intend to make a few small reforms on my father’s cottage, nothing too complicated… But I’ll wait till the weather gets warmer. I’d have to hire someone anyway, so I thought maybe you would be interested. But, you know? It was my mistake. Forget about it” Arthur retrieved the card and was about to throw it back in the drawer when Merlin stood up.

“Oh my God, Arthur, you asshole! Why didn’t you say that _before_?” he threw his hands to the air. “Why did you have to start it all backwards like that? You keep complaining I always think the worst but, honestly!” he reached for the credit card. “Come on, give me the bloodycard already.”

Still a bit dazed by Merlin’s unpredicted reaction, Arthur slowly held out the card, waiting for a new turnabout in the boy’s mood any moment, now.

“So, how’s it gonna be?” Merlin continued, sliding the card to his pocket. “Formal dress? Business casual? Or 'snob rich businessman' like you?”

“You-” Arthur started to curse, but then Merlin showed off his shining white teeth in a broad smile and Arthur ended up releasing the air from his lungs like an emptying balloon. He took a business card from his drawer and gave it to Merlin. “Go to this shop and look for George Butler. Tell him I sent you after him. He'll know exactly what to show you" Arthur rolled his eyes at the incredulous look on Merlin's face. "What? You didn't really think I'd trust in your fashion sense after seeing the way you dress yourself, did you? I doubt you know anything about the current fashion!"

"Hey, just because I don't dress myself like everybody else it doesn't mean I don't know anything about current fashion!"

"Sure, sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night" Arthur disdained. "So? What do you say?"

"Okay, fine" it was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. "I’ll return your card tomorrow.”

“Actually you’ll return it to me later today” Arthur checked his watch once again. “I have to leave in a few minutes and I need you to go to the mall to buy a wedding gift.”

“What did you say?”

“Exactly what you heard, a wedding gift” Arthur repeated himself. “To my uncle, who is to marry in a few weeks. So you can use the opportunity to buy your new clothes. And your mother's birthday gift.”

"What-? How did you-?"

"I don't have ears such as yours, _Mer_ lin" Arthur pretended to analyze some of the documents on his table, avoiding Merlin's eyes. "But even I couldn't help listening to you nagging about not having the time to pick your mother's present."

Merlin opened his mouth to object but closed it again, shaking his head. “Right. And what exactly should I get for your uncle?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea” Arthur shrugged. There’d been many years since Arthur last spoke to Agravaine, save for the absolutely necessary, and he had no love for his fiancée either, therefore he couldn’t care less if Merlin wasn't the most qualified person for the job. “If I had, I’d buy it myself, online! And I’d have it delivered directly at his house! Now piss off, I have actual work to do. Come on! Move!”

“I’m on my way!”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Merlin?” he called before the boy left. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Oh, right!” Merlin turned back to pick up his backpack and the Starbucks bag.

Arthur had to compel his own facial muscles into a scowl to prevent the foolish smile that threatened to take over his features.Well, it wasn’t all bad, in the end. Now all he had to do was put his plan into practice. He grabbed his coat and wallet and left without saying goodbye.

.Merlin.

**16th week**

Contrary to what Merlin expected, his mother didn’t ask any question when Merlin came home holding a bunch of bags full of clothes and a pair of boots – along with a new haircut –, which was a bit disappointing, since Merlin had prepared a whole speech to explain the loan he received from his boss. It took a while for Merlin to understand the reason, but Hunith probably thought her son was using his saved money or even got a credit card, now that he had a fixed income.

The downside of all that change of garment was that people was starting to pay attention to him at college, once again, and now he had to waste some time _interacting_ to them – something Merlin was never really good at. Most of his friends weren't interested in talking about anything besides drinking and shagging, no wonder Merlin never had much to say to them.

The bright side was that things were finally beginning to change for the better at Pendragon Consulting. Arthur had approved his new outfit, even if in his own unconventional way.

“ _I can’t understand you, Merlin_ ” he had said as he assessed Merlin, the following day to his shopping. “ _Either you’re wearing clothes three sizes bigger than you, or you’re wearing it two sizes smaller! Couldn’t you’ve gone for something in-between? How_ _can_ _you fit yourself into these jeans, anyway?_ ”

“ _And you should make up your mind_ ” Merlin had argued. “ _Didn’t you want me to dress according to current fashion? Well,_ this _is current fashion. And it’s not that tight, as a matter of fact. The jeans the salesman was trying to push on me? Those were tight! Besides, it's stretchy_ ” Merlin pinched the cloth covering his thigh to prove it’s elasticity, to what Arthur made a strange face.

“ _I see you took my advice about your coat, then_ ” Arthur approved, changing the subject.

“ _Advice?_ ” Merlin mocked. “ _George said you threatened kicking me out of here personally if I showed up with another brown coat!_ ”

Arthur shrugged his shoulders. “ _Well, at least these boots are better than_ _those_ _awful sneakers you used to wear. But I don’t remember mentioning for you to cut your hair. Did I mention anything about the hair? No I didn’t. So why did you cut it?_ ”

“ _Since when do I have to ask your permission to get a haircut, by any chance?_ ” Merlin threw right back, thoroughly irritated, but then he spent some time looking in the men’s room mirror, later that afternoon. He hadn’t cut it that much, had he?

And there was more to the list of bizarre things about his boss' behavior. To Merlin's surprise, the salesman Arthur had indicated tried to persuade him to by a set of choker and earrings as a birthday gift to his mother, stating that Mr. Pendragon had picked it himself!

Merlin had found himself completely gobsmacked, not just by the obscene price of the thing, but also because he couldn't picture his mother wearing thejewelry, even in the most formal occasions she dared to attend. He gently declined George's offer, but didn't bother with the same gentleness towards Arthur, when confronting him.

" _You really thought I could afford that?_ " Merlin had asked, astonished, after Arthur insisted it was a perfectly adequate gift. " _I_ _could_ _never cover for it! Not even if I handed you my entire payment for the rest of my life!_ "

Arthur had sulkily crossed his arms over his chest, then. " _Well, that's the kind of present I'd give my mother, if she was still alive._ "

" _You don't know my mother, Arthur! She'd never wear something like that!_ "

Fortunately, they hadn't approached the subject ever since.

In the following couple of months, Merlin joined Arthur in some of the client’s visits, as promised. Never mind all Arthur told him to do was carry boxes and bags full of equipment they hardly got a chance to use; made sure Merlin served his tea; and named Merlin his ‘slide runner’ throughout the presentation – even though Merlin had found a laser pointer forthat exact purpose inside the bag.

“ _What’s the point of bringing you along if you keep refusing to do as I ask, Merlin?_ ” Arthur had said, throwing the device back to Merlin. “ _Or is it too complicated for you to press ‘Page Up’ and ‘Page down’? It’s just two keys, Merlin, honestly!_ ”

At least Merlin got to learn more about the business operations and – why not – about his supervisor. Arthur never brought up his personal life and, more and more, Merlin suspected there wasn’t much to be said if he did. He was like a robot programmed only for work, dressing impeccably, assuming always the correct posture and keeping a gravely serious semblance even when everyone around his was enjoying themselves. Even his hair didn’t seem to grow like the rest of the mortals, always of the same length, not a hair out of place. Yet, somehow the director had made many friends inside the company, as Merlin confirmed at the pub. Friends who didn’t seem like the self-interested kind, as it was only to be expected from someone of his status and that, more than anything, made Merlin begin to see a few cracks in the image Arthur worked so hard to stage.

Merlin started to notice the way Arthur pulled the right corner of his mouth down when he was fighting a smile; the way he clicked and unclicked his retractable pen repeatedly when he was nervous; and even realized his boss cut his hair every fortnight, religiously, and that was why no one never really noticed the difference in length. Inwardly, Merlin hopedArthur would be a bit sloppy occasionally, just so he could establish if Arthur'd look just as godlike with his hair askew and unshaven.

Besides all that, Arthur was a totally different person with his customers. Polite and courteous, he was all open smiles, making people smile back to him – especially women. Merlin couldn’t blame them for that, really. Sometimes he got so distracted by the speaker he forgot to change the slides until he got smacked in the head by Arthur’s pen or cuffed on the nape.

Merlin also took part on the review process of a consultancy proposal, where he got to contribute with his acquired knowledge. Sometimes he missed being able to discuss some details with Gwen, who had the same academic formation that he was pursuing, but Arthur always made a point to accompany him personally.

“ _I’m your supervisor, not her!_ ” he had said when Merlin offered to go talk to Gwen. “ _Besides, Gwen has a lot of work to do, she can’t attend to you now._ ”

“ _But don’t you have loads of stuff to do_ _too?_ ” Merlin had argued, trying to make him reconsider.

“ _I certainly do! Now quit wasting my time with stupid questions and get to the point. What did you_ _want_ _to ask Gwen?_ ”

It wasn’t like all of a sudden Arthur had turned into his dream supervisor – although he featured insome of his dreams, even if uninvited. He continued telling Merlin to clean up his ties, shred paper and buy his Earl Gray. The difference was that now he inserted some interesting tasks in between the pointless ones.

At that very moment, Merlin was in the middle of a pointless task, but it was early afternoon, therefore there was still plenty of hope things could get better before the end of the day.

“Hey, let me help you” Merlin offered at seeing a guy struggling to support what looked like a heavy box against the wall so that he could call the lift.

“Oh, thanks” said the boy, who appeared to be about his own age.

“Are you new around here?” Merlin asked while they waited for the lift to arrive.

Merlin had come down to the ground floor to get Arthur’s mail and the boy had apparently being designated to something alike. However, instead of receiving two narrow envelops like Merlin, he ended up with a fairly large box with the words “handle with care” stamped on each side.

“I started last week” answered the guy, a friendly smile on his face. “My name is Gilian Buckley, but everybody calls me Gili.”

“Nice to meet you, Gili. I’m Merlin Emrys. I’d shake your hand, but...” Merlin shrugged, making the boy smile once again. “Which floor?” he asked when they entered the lift.

“Seventh. Maintenance division.”

“Really? That'smy floor too!” Merlin marveled, pressing the button, then placed the mail under his armpit to hold them in place. “Come here, I’ll help you.”

“You don’t have to” Gili started to refuse, but Merlin insisted and they shared the box’s weight between the both of them all thought the lift ride and walking the hallway to the Maintenance room. “Thank you, Merlin” Gili said as he walked Merlin back to the corridor to shake his hand. “Hey, you look familiar…”

“Um…” Merlin had had the same feeling, actually. “Do you go to UCL, by any chance?”

“Yes, I’m taking engineering courses” Gili raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I remember now! We had Prof. Robins’ class together, a couple of years ago!”

“Oh, sure!” Merlin nodded excitedly and only then realized they were still holding their hands together. He drew back, self-consciously. “Well, my room is that one, CRM” Merlin pointed to the opposite side of the hallway without looking away. “You can call me if you need anything.”

“Sure, sure. See you around, Merlin!” Gili got back inside the Maintenance room and Merlin nodded to himself before turning and crashing into Arthur.

“My God, Arthur!” Merlin stepped back, raising one hand to his chest to calm down.

“May I ask what you’re doing?” Arthur had a grave look on his face, his arms were crossed over his chest, his feet planted firmly apart. He seemed so rigid he hadn’t moved an inch, not even when Merlin bumped into his chest.

“I was just helping Gili carrying a box!”

“Oh, really?” Arthur asked in that tone Merlin always wondered whether he was serious or mocking him. “Why don’t you go help Bedivere at the Warehouse, then? I heard he carries boxes all day long, each and every day.”

“Um… Do you really want me to go?” Merlin scratched the hair on his nape and Arthur rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms to grab the collar of Merlin’s sweater, roughly pushing him along the hallway towards CRM’s room.

“Of course not, Merlin! Honestly, I thought you got lost out there.”

“I was fetching the mail!” Merlin wagged the envelopes he held in hand, struggling not to stumble over while Arthur manhandled him through the door of his office.

At first, Merlin found it odd the way Arthur used to grab, pull, push and hit. But he was starting to get used to it and didn’t even questioned it anymore. Arthur was a tactile person, but, at the same time, he didn't know how to express his feelings or the proper limit to his proximity. Anyway, Merlin understood Arthur probably couldn’t help acting that way any more than he could help being a jerk most of the time. The problem was now Merlin had to work harder not to let that closeness affect him, like Arthur’s big hand rubbing at his nape, the intoxicating fragrance of his perfume, his hot breath next to his ear…

“When it comes to you, Merlin, one can never be sure” Arthur shoved him to one of the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down.”

Merlin sat down, leaning forward, crossing his legs and supporting his elbow on them, chin in hand. The pose was both to prove his interest in what Arthur had to say and to hide his half-erection.

“It was very thoughtful of you to offer help to that boy… What’s his name again?” Arthur asked as he sat in his chair.

“Gili” Merlin answered. “He’s the new Maintenance’s intern. And he goes to UCL too! I knew I’d seen him before, but didn’t remember we had classes together and- I’ll stop talking now” he amended at noticing the look on Arthur’s face.

“ _Gili_. Right” Arthur nodded, not taking his eyes off of Merlin’s. “Well, It’s a shame you don’t have that much time left to help him anymore, is it not? Or have you already finished revising next week’s presentation?”

“Yes!” Merlin felt relieved. “Actually, I’ve already sent you the-”

“And what about the new files on the storage room?” Arthur continued on. “Have you finished organizing it?”

“Well, no, I-”

“As I said, you’ve got no time to waste. And I’ll find out if someone comes looking for you here, understand?”

“Perfectly” Merlin nodded, forcing himself to stop looking at Arthur’s lips. There was something to Arthur’s voice that made Merlin’s hair stand up all over his body whenever Arthur spoke to him in that bossy way of his, though Merlin’d never admit it out loud.

“Great” Arthur leaned on his chair’s backrest, clicking and unclicking his pen in a nervous tic before throwing it on the table and taking a deep breath, as if to settle down. “That’s not the reason I called you here, though. I hope you didn’t forget about helping me with some things in my father’s cottage, as we agreed?”

“Oh, no, of course I didn’t forget about it” Merlin said quickly, fumbling with his sweater’s sleeves. “Actually, I was about to ask you when you were intending to call me on it” he lied.

That made Arthur relax just a fraction. “This weekend’s supposed to be pretty warm” Arthur commented. “So, I was thinking we could stop by this saturday to tidy the place up. What do you say?”

“Sure, no problem” Merlin agreed, imagining if it was safe to uncross his legs. “Just tell me the time and place.”

“You can drop by my place at eight in the morning. I’ll text you my address” he pulled his phone out of his trousers’ pocket. “I’ll have to take some boxes over. This way you can help me load.”

“Deal” Merlin checked his phone as he received the message. “Um… About the job… What exactly do you need me to do? Because if I need help, I could call my friend Will to join me-”

“It won’t be necessary” Arthur resumed to sounding irritated. “It’s no big deal. Just mowing the lawn, painting some windows, organizing somethings… You can handle it just fine, trust me.”

“Alright, then” Merlin shrugged. “Should I bring any equipment?”

“No need. I can arrange whatever you need.”

“Right” Merlin nodded, drumming his fingers on the armrest and looking around. “Is that all?”

Arthur released the air from his lungs. “Yes. That’s it.”

Merlin cursed when he reached the safety of his desk, careful to keep his back to Arthur as he did – his boss was disturbingly good at lip reading. Merlin had known thatthis was supposed tohappen any moment, with the summer not far ahead, but he had feared and yearned forit in equal measures.

There was a reason why Merlin hadn’t gone back to the pub again, despite Gwaine’s and the rest of the guys’ insistence to the contrary. It was hard enough having to endure Arthur’s presence at his workplace, but at least at Pendragon there was that distinguishable ranking between them that made Merlin keep in mind the absurdity of his crush on his supervisor. God, Merlin could only imagine Arthur laughing at his face if only he got wind of that. Even if he wasn’t straight, Arthur probably still thought of his intern as nothing other than an annoying brat.

Yet, outside the company’s building, Arthur wasn’t his supervisor. He was nothing but an ordinary guy. Well, an older, bossy and ridiculously attractive guy, that is, but still just a guy. And Merlin feared what that change of atmosphere could do to him. The idea of calling Will had come out of sheer desperation. He hadn’t even mentioned if to Will, but he’d have figured out how to convince him, had Arthur agreed to it, just so he wouldn’t end up alone with Arthur ever again.

But he should have guessed Arthur wouldn’t accept that. He enjoyed too much bossing Merlin around and Will’s presence would certainly ruin it. After all, Will wasn’t the type to acceptthat kind of attitude – neither jerk off _thinking_ about it, like Merlin frequently did.

“What are you looking at?” Merlin asked Kilgharrah, in an edgy hiss. “So what if it turns me on? It’s still none of your business!”

The dragon kept staring at him with that almost human eyes of his, making Merlin shudder.

“Oh, shut it” Merlin said before turning it away, grabbing the files on his desk and heading to the storage room.

.M.

 


	8. Part 1 - Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** implied heterosexual intercourse, but nothing too graphic.

**Chapter 7**

  
  


“Thank you... for visiting” Arthur said, spreading out in his bed after disposing of the used condom as he tried to catch his breath.

“It’s always a pleasure!” Elena mumbled, resting her head on his chest, her breathing also ragged. Her weight was comfortable and Arthur closed his eyes, enjoying the heat of another body nextto his own. It had been so long since he last felt that kind of connection he had already forgotten how good it felt.

“What was it that you said you came for, again?” he asked when his heartbeat slowed down once again.

“I didn’t say it” Elena yawned, her voice heavy with sleep. “You didn’t let me.”

Elena had phoned him late at the previous night and, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she asked if he was home and if he was alone. When Arthur said yes to both questions, his doorbell rang and Elena hung up with an “Ops!” and a mischievous giggle. They hadn’t talked much since then, despite having spent the most part of the late-night awake and Arthur was more than happy for having found a way to overflow his eagerness to spend the whole saturday with Merlin.

“So?” Arthur insisted when Elena went too quiet, her breathing smooth.

Elena grumbled something about it being “so late that it was already too early”, but ended up raising her head, propping up her chin to face him, eyes struggling to remain opened.

“I came for my friend’s engagement party” she enlightened. “Then I decided to spend the night and go back to France by morning. I can always catch the ten o’clock train.”

“Oh, so you decided to save up the hotel room and that’s when you remembered me.”

“Exactly!” she grinned in that naughty way of hers.

Elena was a very beautiful, talkative, and funny woman. Arthur always thought they didn’t make that much of a matching couple, but felt fortunate when she showed interest in him. She was always looking at the bright side of things and he really enjoyed the time they spent together. But, in the morning, Arthur had to go back to facing his responsibilities and Elena simply couldn't take anything seriously for too long. In the end, when she told him she was leaving for France, some part of Arthur felt relieved, since he feared their relationship would have worn out if they had stayed together any longer and they'd end up never looking each other in the face again. The way things went, at least they got to keep being friends and didn't have to deal with their mutual disappointment in the future.

“I know I should have asked this question yesterday, but...” she lowered her eyes, making patterns in his chest with the pad of her fingers. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No. You?”

“I was” she sighed. “But it's over now” she made a point of sounding nonchalant, but Arthur could tell that she wasn't as unshaken as she wanted him to believe. When they were still dating, whenever the topic marriage was brought up, Elena stated that she was too young to even think about it. But now Arthur wondered if she had changed her opinion since then and how much that recent break-up combined with her friend's engagement influenced on her showing up at his door.

“I'm sorry” Arthur kept silent for a moment while lazily caressing Elena's waist. Then, as it kept happening all though that night, Arthur pictured it was Merlin who was there, in his bed, resting his head on his chest, breathing against his skin, cuddling to him while sighing contently. Arthur pretended it was Merlin's skin he was caressing, from the beginning of his spine till the base, bringing him closer. He pretended it was Merlin's hands stroking his chest hair at a leisurely pace...

Arthur's throat went dry, his breathing accelerating while his body reacted once again.

“Again?” Elena half wailed, half laughed at seeing the tenting sheets. “Arthur, when you said you missed me, I didn't think you were that serious.”

“Hey, it's being years since I've last seeing you!” Arthur joked, flipping them over until he was on top of her, kissing her neck.

“I should have gone to a hotel” Elena mock-complained whilst holding him closer with her legs. “At least there I'd have gotten some sleep!”

.M.

Some time later, Arthur awoke with the sunlight.

“What time is it?” he asked, causing Elena to startle and moan, rolling to the side.

Arthur turned to the other side quickly and fumbled with his clock. It was seven thirty.

“Shit! Elena... I'm sorry but you have to go!”

“What? I thought you said there was no one!” she sat at the edge of the mattress, wrapping the sheets around herself.

“There isn't!” Arthur exasperated. “It's just that... I've made plans with someone to-”

“Alright, alright... No need to explain yourself” she interrupted, annoyed. “Do you mind if I take a shower first?”

Arthur conceded, although apprehensive. He grabbed a t-shirt and jeans and hurried to the downstairs bathroom to give Elena some space at his suite. When she came down to the kitchen, her shoes in one hand and her purse in the other, Arthur was already bathed and changed, drinking his tea.

“Would you like some?” Arthur asked after a quick check to his watch. It was already eight o'clock. Damn.

“Tea? No, thanks” she answered moodily.

“I'm sorry, I don't have any coffee.”

“It's fine” she waived his excuses while putting on her shoes. “I'll have something at the station. It's not like I don't have time to spare” she said sarcastically. “I just need to call a cab and-”

“I've already called it for you” Arthur admitted with a guilty shrug. “It's probably here by now.”

Elena shook her head but she had a mischievous smile on her lips when she leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “Hey. It was good to see you, alright?”

“It was good seeing you too” Arthur reciprocated warmly.

“I'd say I'd visit more often but I've got the feeling you can't wait to get rid of me.”

“Oh, no, Elena, I-” Arthur started to give some excuse, but she silenced him with a finger to his lips.

“It's okay, Arthur. Good luck with whoever it is. She's a lucky girl” she smiled. “You look very handsome, by the way. And I can see myself to the door.”

Arthur looked down to his own choice of clothes. He wasn't wearing anything out of ordinary – although he had to admit that it was his best jeans and one of the shirts that better fitted him, clinging to his body in all the right places. He had deliberately left some of the top buttons by the collar undone and hung his sunglasses there.

Shaking his head to himself, Arthur piled some boxes near the door and was about to start loading the car when his doorbell rang, at four past eight. Arthur pressed the intercom button to open the door to the building without even checking who it was and waited for Merlin with his arms crossed to his chest.

“Good morning to you too!” Merlin smiled tightly, putting his hands in his jeans pockets as he reached the top of the stairs. “Don't even get me started, I'm on time!”

“Four minutes of delay is hardly on time, Merlin. Why didn't you take the lift?” Arthur asked, the sight of Merlin in his too large and beaten up clothes making him even grumpier.

“Oh...” Merlin took a look around, seeming to just notice the elevator. “Habit, I suppose. Besides, you're on the first floor, it wasn't that far of a climb.”

“I'm glad you already warmed up, then” Arthur said, turning around to pick up a box from the pile and placing it on Merlin's stretched arms, causing him to grunt as his knees flexed to take the weight. “I'd tell you to feel free to walk down the stairs to the garage, but I don't have all morning. Hold the lift, will you?”

Arthur turned to grab one more box and got into the lift with Merlin, pressing the underground button.

“What's in this? Cinder blocks?” Merlin grumbled, supporting part of the box's weight on the elevator's wall.

“Why, I though you liked carrying boxes around, _Mer_ lin. After all, you keep offering to help other people with it!”

“My God, Arthur, it was a one-time thing! Just that once!”

When they reached the garage, Arthur leaded the way till his convertible Maserati, opening the trunk.

“Are there more boxes to bring?” Merlin asked, already short of breath, leaving his backpack at the passenger seat.

“Only two dozen more” Arthur shrugged and Merlin groaned. “What are you waiting for? Move!”

There was only five more boxes, which they piled on the elevator's floor to carry in one go.

“Isn't it against the buildings regulations?” Merlin inquired as he dragged the last of the boxes and Arthur kept the elevator's door open, pretending to look at his phone while actually staring at Merlin's perk behind. “Exceeding the weight limit, using the social lift for loading...?”

“The service lift is closed for repairs” Arthur stated, having checked it the night before with the doorman. “Besides, it's too early. Most of the other tenants are still sleeping.”

They finished packing the car, piling the boxes on the backseat when the trunk proved to be too small to fit all of them. All the while, Arthur kept threatening to behead Merlin if he dared ruin his leather seats. Arthur opened the door to the driver's side, but Merlin jumped right over the door, landing in the passenger seat. Arthur stared at him with a raised eyebrow, caught between the amusement and the worry for the possible damage to his car's painting.

“I've always wanted to do that” Merlin admitted, blushing.

Arthur shook his head and gave up circling around the car to check it out.

Once out of the garage, Arthur put his sunglasses on. There weresome clouds inthe sky, but not enough to stop the sunlight from shinning bright. The trip to Newbury was about an hours drive, so they were supposed to arrive there at nine thirty. As he drove through an intersection to the highway, Arthur got so lost in his own head he hadn't even noticed the unnatural silence between them until his passenger snorted, fidgeting on his seat.

“What?” Arthur asked, a bit more harshly then he intended to.

“I should have guessed you'd be even more cranky in the morning” Merlin muttered, ironically.

“I'm not cranky!” Arthur retorted automatically and sounded cranky to his own ears.

Merlin snorted again.

Arthur worked his own shoulder blades, taking a deep breath. “Is it too windy?” he asked, raising his voice to be listened above the wind noise. “I can roll the roof up, if it's bothering you.”

“No!” Merlin answered quickly. “I mean, it's fine with me.”

“I'm pretty sure there's a extra pair of sunglasses somewhere here” Arthur said, noticing the way Merlin squeezed his eyes because of the sunlight. “It's probably in the glove box” Arthur leaned over to open the compartment, accidentally brushing Merlin's knee before giving up, cursing himself. “Check it out, will you? I'm driving!”

“I don't need sunglasses, Arthur” Merlin rolled his eyes, moving his knee away and looking at the opposite side of the road.

Arthur grunted, all the more annoyed. He thought about turning the radio on, but realized he had no idea what kind of music Merlin used to listen. And he wasn't sure we wanted to find out, thinking about the things they called music these days, but didn't have many choices if he wanted to unwind some of the tension between them.

“You have some songs on your phone, right?” Arthur asked.

“A few” Merlin sounded wary. “Why?”

“I'm not sure if the wireless' bluetooth is set up, but there's a plug in the glove box. Take the bloody sunglasses while you'reat it, will you?”

Merlin complied, mumbling something about poor manners all the while. He found the lenses and put them on. Then he reached out for the plug and took his phone out of his bag, studying the radio set till he located the right entry. The easiness with which he operated the device's controls made Arthur even more aware of the ten years between them. Merlin didn't even have a car and probably already knew how to handle his wireless better than Arthur, after two fucking minutes.

What was he thinking when he planned this? It was pretty obvious it had been a big mistake! He and Merlin had nothing in common. Merlin probably couldn't wait for the day to end so he could pay his debt and get rid of him as soon as possible.

However, when the first song started to play, Arthur stared at Merlin disbelievingly. “Seriously?”

“What?” Merlin asked defensively. “You don't like it?” The frames were a little too large for his slender face, but not to the point of unattractiveness.

“You mean you really listen to it?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Merlin, this song is nearly your age!”

“So what?”

Arthur kept silent for a while, skeptical, listening to _The Riddle - Gigi D'Agostino._

“I can change it, if you don't like it” Merlin said, misinterpreting his disbelief.

“No, it's fine.”

When the next one started - _Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve_ \- Arthur's jaw dropped. “Ok, you can tell me, Merlin. I promise I wont judge you for that. Who did you steal this phone from?”

“No one!” Merlin defended himself. “It's mine, I swear! Ask Will, it was him who gave it to me when he got a new one. Now, I had to delete all of his musics because, honestly, I don't know how he can listen to that shit.”

After listening to R.E.M, Oasis, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Greenday, Arthur finally got to loosen up enough to enjoy the ride.

“What?” it was his time to question the weird look Merlin gave him.

“Nothing” Merlin turned his face to the other side, trying to hide his amusement.

Arthur resumed working his shoulders, drumming on the steering wheel, following the beat until... Arthur had to look at the radio's display to make sure he wasn't imagining things, at hearing the initial chords of the next music.

“ _Mer_ lin!” he shouted, hitting Merlin's arm.

“What now?” Merlin caressed his assaulted arm.

“This music is nearly _my_ age!”

“I know!” he squirmed, unsure. “Now that you mentioned it, it's really disturbing.”

When the chorus began, Arthur couldn't care less how much of a fool of himself he was making as he sang along. “ _You're the voice, try and understand it. Make a noise and make it clear... Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo!”_

“Oh, my God!” Merlin face palmed, but Arthur tugged at his arm.

“Come _on_ , Merlin! _We're not gonna sit in silence! We're not gonna live with fear... Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo!_ ” **¹**

“No! Stop the car! I need to get out!” Merlin said, mortified. “Jesus, you're worse than my mother! She never made me feel this embarrassed!”

“ _Mer_ lin! You have to live a little! Come on! Loosen up a bit!”

Arthur sang the chorus again and Merlin's embarrassment gave way to amusement. He laughed so hard he went all red, his eyes squinted and watering.

“Sing with me, Merlin! Come on!”

And just like that, when the chorus began again, Merlin's voice joined Arthur's, the boy's much morein tune then the man's. “ _You're the voice, try and understand it. Make a noise and make it clear... Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo!_ ” they looked at each other, making faces.

“That's how I like it, Merlin!” Arthur approved.

“ _We're not gonna sit in silence! We're not gonna live with fear... Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo!_ ”

They laughed on through the initial guitar solo of _Sweet Child O'Mine - Guns N'Roses_ before Arthur started to sing that one too, trying not to think about the irony of it all.

“Alright, you can admit it now. You don't listen to these musics, do you?” Arthur teased.

“Not _only_ these, no” Merlin shrugged. “I listen to today's pop and rock. But I like the old ones too.”

They remained at a comfortable silence for some time after that, listening to _Every Breath You Take - The Police_ until Arthur pointed to the Newbury sign. “Almost there.”

Before they reached the town, though, Arthur took a turn to a side road, which leaded to a dirt road – he rolled up the car's roof so that they didn't eat dust -, passing through some hills and a stream until they reached the cottage.

The grass was tall and the garden needed pruning, but the two-story house was just as Arthur remembered fromhis childhood. Arthur parked with the back of the car to the door and they unloaded. Arthur went to open the house to vent and showed Merlin around, leaving the furniture to uncover.

“This bookshelf was put up a couple of weeks ago” Arthur pointed to the custom-made shelves he had ordered soon after he convinced Merlin to accept his lent. The shelf took a whole wall of the high-ceiling room, including above the door. Arthur motioned to the boxes all over the floor. “There are some books here along with the ones I brought from London. I need you to organize it for me. This windows” he pointed “need scraping and painting from the inside. Come on” he called, leading Merlin to the upper floor to show him the bedrooms.

“Wow, look at this bed!” Merlin marveled, gaping at Uther's bed, made of solid wood and shaped as a barge.

Next, Arthur took him to Morgana's bedroom, with a canopy bed shaped like a pitched roof house. And finally, to Arthur's bedroom.

“Oh, wow!” Merlin covered his mouth with his hand in astonishment. The room had two areas: one at the first floor with a sofa bed facing a TV and another custom-made shelf; the other at a mezzanine, suspended over that private sitting room and accessible by a wooden ladder, where stood Arthur's bed. “Is that a Super Nintendo?” Merlin asked as he moved towards the old videogame console, beneath the TV, his eyes shinning. “I can't believe it! Are all those things games?” he pointed to the boxes piled near the couch.

“Do you recognize it?” Arthur asked, fighting the smile that threatened to split his face in two as he watched Merlin's excited reaction.

Actually, Uther had given that console to Morgana when Arthur was five years old but she never took interest in the gift, really – except when it came to picking on her little brother, when she insisted Arthur had to ask her permission to play with _her_ things. Since then, Arthur had began to collect games, pestering his father and his uncle to buy games for him at each and every chance he got and, later on, spending his savings on it.

“I need you to organize this one too” Arthur indicated the freshly installed shelves. “Come on, lets go outside.”

At the courtyard, Arthur showed Merlin to the small barn - which they had turned to a storage cabinet for tools and such – and to the tree house – which was in desperate need for a reform, with it's access ladder missing several steps, while others hanged by a thread.

“Do you want me to fix that too?” Merlin asked, pointing to the tree house and looking thoroughly horrified by the possibility.

“No, no. Not today” Arthur assured him. “Besides, it's not like it can be of any use now. I probably don't fit through the the door anymore” he smiled, momentarily lost in memories. “Morgana and I used to take turns playing there. At least until the day she found a dead skunk inside and swore she'd never set foot in it again” he looked at Merlin, who still seemed a bit queasy. “Do you want to take a look up there? I'm sure there's nothing left of the skunk anymore.”

“No, thanks” Merlin averted his eyes as he looked around.

“There used to be a swing right there” Arthur indicated another tree by the rim of the woods at the perimeter of the estate. “And a pool at the back of the house. But it was too much trouble keeping it clean and covered. We often found drowned animals inside. My dad used to hire a caretaker to look after the state, but after the last one passed awayno one lives here anymore” Arthur pointed to an old outhouse next to were the pool once stood.

Arthur finished walking down the courtyard and turned over to Merlin, whose face was already flushed by the hot sunshine. The skies had cleared up, now completely cloudless.

“So. You think you can handle it?” Arthur asked challengingly.

Merlin scratched his nape as he assessed his surroundings. “I'm not sure I can manage it in a single day.”

“We can come back tomorrow, if you don't” Arthur suggested.

“Okay” Merlin nodded. “I'd better get started, then.”

Arthur sent him to take a look at the tools in the barn to see if he needed anything else while he got back inside the house and checked on the piping, flushed the toilets and poured some disinfectant in it, as usual. He turned the power on, tested the electronics and opened the empty refrigerator to check if It was working.

“I'll need extra sandpaper, newspapers and paint for the windows” Merlin stated as he joined him inside, taking the sunglasses off and placing them safely on the kitchen counter. “Do you have any cleaning supplies?”

Arthur showed him the broom closet at the end of the corridor and Merlin announced everything was in order.

“I'll start with the windows” Merlin said, seeming animated. “That'll give us enough time to air out the house before we leave.”

When Arthur stuck his head in the living room to drop off a jar of fresh water and inform he was heading to Newbury for some shopping, Merlin had already dragged the covered furniture away from the windows and was on his knees, scraping the old paint off the wood not bothering to look his way as he answered. Arthur took a moment to admire the small patch of skin at the bottom of Merlin's spine revealed by his loose t-shirt as he moved his arms up.

When Arthur returned with the supplies – paint cans, petrol for the lawn mower, frozen food, microwave popcorn and a case of beer -, Merlin was covered in white dust and the windows where almost completely paint-free.

“Please, tell me you remembered to bring the sandpaper” Merlin begged, wiping the sweat from his eyes with the edge of his shirt, displaying his stomach as a result.

Arthur had to avert his eyes and search his own head before remembering what he was looking for. When he withdrew the sandpaper from one of the bags, Merlin raised his hands to the air in gratitude.

Arthur threw a frozen pizza inside the oven and opened a beer wile waiting for it to bake, resisting his urge to go back to the living room and get settled on the couch to watch while Merlin worked. He had thought spending last night with Elena would be enough to relax him, but Merlin had a gift for making every cell in his body stand on alert, no matter how tired he was.

Merlin refused to eat before finishing the painting. Arthur had already eaten the first pizza by himself and was about to drag him by force when Merlin finally showed up at the kitchen. “Done” he declared, crumbling boneless onto a stool, his clothes completely splattered with white paint, his face and arms wet after he washed up at the corridor's loo.

Without saying a word, Arthur pushed the second pizza and a beer bottle in his direction, sitting down in front of him at the counter.

Furrowing his brow, Merlin examined the beer's label closely, probably checking the alcohol content. “I thought you said I'd only drink soda if it were up to you” he arched an eyebrow.

Arthur shrugged. “Well, you're under my supervision today. One beer can't hurt. But, if you don't want to...” he acted like he was about to retrieve it from his hand, but Merlin raised it out of his reach.

After that, Arthur observed silently while Merlin devoured the pizza. His hair had grown a few inched again, just the way Arthur liked it. He had seriously considered including a term to his contract forbidding him from cutting it without his previous consent, but he gathered Morgana would never agree to it.

“What?” Merlin asked, between bites. “I'm hungry!”

“I can see that” Arthur nodded, taking another drink from his beer without taking his eyes off Merlin. “In fact, I can't stop looking” Arthur noticed the confusion taking place at Merlin's face and only then realized what he had just said. “It's almost like watching a car accident” he added quickly.

With his mouth otherwise occupied, Merlin made a rude gesture and Arthur grinned.

.M.

Even with the sun beginning to turn down, it was pretty hot when Merlin got started on the courtyard. Arthur insisted that he wore the borrowed sunglasses, but Merlin claimed he hadn't adapted to it.

“It's annoying. It keeps sliding down my nose and it makes it hard to watch what I'm stepping on” Merlin complained. “Besides, I'd rather not risk dropping them and running over it with the mower.”

Arthur had left it slide but made sure he wore sunscreen on his face and arms. “Don't forget the ears” Arthur said. “And don't worry, there's enough sunscreen.”

“Fuck you!” Merlin retorted, although he didn't seem to put his heart to it.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth, kid?” Arthur reprimanded. “Shouldn't you put a penny into a jar or something?”

Merlin gave him the finger and Arthur shook his head.

As Merlin worked with the lawn mower, Arthur grabbed a book and sat by the porch with his sunglasses on. All of his reading attempts got frustrated, though, since his eyes refused to stop following Merlin, afraid they'd miss it the next time Merlin'd wipe the sweat off his face with his shirt – and he cursed every time he caught sight of it.

Arthur remembered Gwaine's words as he acknowledged Merlin wasn't as thin as he appeared. He was slender and compact, his muscles firm and tight. There was a trail of dark hair from his navel to the hem of his red pants, revealed by his loose jeans.

Giving up on reading, Arthur reclined the chair's backrest and leaned to it, closing his eyes with a content sigh when a cool breeze came over him. The mower's engine noise didn't really bother him. Good heavens, he was tired...

He woke up with a thunder, thoroughly stunned by the rain beginning to pour down the darkened skies.

“Fuck!” Arthur collected his book before it got splattered and checked his watch. It was four in the afternoon. He recalled to take off his sunglasses, but the sky was still dark without the lenses. Arthur rose up and looked around, searching for Merlin. There was no sign of him nor the tools he had scattered all over the courtyard and the lawn had been mowed and raked up.

Arthur was about to search for him inside the house when he spotted Merlin running from the barn, completely drenched.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted over the rain roar when the boy climbed the steps to the porch, pausing to catch his breath. “Where were you?”

“Barn” he panted.

“Why are you soaked, then? I can't believe you didn't see this downpour coming!”

“I thought... I'd make it” he held his side, looking pained. “And I did...! I just had to... run to store the tools...”

Arthur shook his head looking at his dirty t-shirt, now drenched and clinging to Merlin's body, and his muddy jeans. “I'll fetch you a towel. Don't you dare go inside with those filthy boots!”

When Arthur came back out with the towel, he almost fell backwards from the shock of seeing Merlin dressed only in his red underpants, his back to the door, bowing down to finish taking off his jeans and socks. Arthur's heartbeat went from zero to one thousand in one blink, his blood fleeing his brain so fast he'd possibly have fallen to the ground in case he hadn't hold himself to the doorpost on time. Arthur had already noticed the way Merlin's jeans clung to his perky bottom, but seeing him half-naked, bending over, after imagining that scene countless times in his fantasies... It was far too much to his mental health.

Then Merlin turned around and Arthur had to suppress a whimper. Good god, Merlin was gorgeous. He had few chest hair and his tight muscles shifted stunningly as he moved about. Even though he was almost completely on display, all Arthur could think about was that he wanted to see more, so much more. Touch him, make him whisper his name wantingonly -

“Oh, thanks” Merlin said, accepting the towel Arthur didn't even remember he still held in hand. “And don't worry. I brought a change of clothes” he ensured, misinterpreting his astonishment.

Arthur could only imagine how much of a fool he was making of himself, standing there, staring at the boy. He forced his mouth to close and discretely tugged at his shirt's hem, mindful of his physical reaction.

“What are you waiting for, then? Go take a shower before you catch a cold!” Arthur shoved Merlin to the loo – the touch of his hands on Merlin's cold back making the boy shiver all over -, threw his backpack to his bare chest before closing the bathroom's door and swearing. “You've got to be kidding me!” he whispered to his own crotch exasperatedly. Honestly, he was no teenager and he just had a very _busy_ night. It was only to be expected that he could keep his own body in check!

Refusing to take the matter at hand – quite literally, in this case –, Arthur threw a popcorn bag in the microwave and went to the living room, cursing at seeing the windows wide open. Fortunately, the wind was blowing the other way, so the rain didn't actually ruin the painting and the smell wasn't that strong anymore. He dragged the furniture back in place and removed the sheets covering the largest sofa.

When Merlin came out, Arthur was sitting at the couch with his feet on the cushions, a popcorn bowl in one hand and his book in the other. Merlin had his tight jeans on, to Arthur delight and despair.

“Popcorn?” Arthur offered.

Merlin scratched the wet hair at his nape. “Um...”

“What is it?” Arthur straightened his back, suddenly worried that his worker was already considering asking to be taken home.

“It's just... I'm hungry. Really hungry” Merlin shrugged. “You don't happen to have actual food, do you?”

Arthur rolled his eyes stopping short from hitting himself to the head. Of course. He placed the popcorn and the book to the floor before grabbing Merlin by the shoulders and turning him around towards the kitchen.

“Come on, let's see what I can do for you.”

“You don't have to bother” Merlin added quickly. “If you have some eggs, I can fix something on my own.”

“I didn't get any eggs, only frozen food” Arthur frowned, saving that information for some other occasion. “But I think there's a chicken pie. Will that do?”

Merlin nodded and waited while Arthur heated up the pie and prepared a cup of tea.

“What?” Arthur asked as he noticed Merlin's amused smile.

“Nothing” Merlin shrugged, taking the offered tea. “I'm just not used to sitting down while you do something for me.”

Arthur paused for a moment, just realizing what he was doing. “Well, you better not get used to it” he said, his voice deepening and Merlin hid his grin behind his cup.

Arthur felt like reaching out and messing with his hair like he'd do to a small child. He genuinely couldn't figure himself out. One moment he was taking care of Merlin like he was a kid; the next he was fantasizing bending him over the counter and taking him from behind.

And it was unbelievable how he could switch from one to the other in a heartbeat.

.M.

It took Arthur some time to realize that Merlin was doing everything he could to postpone the moment he'd have to climb the ladder to arrange the books on the higher shelves. He had taken all the books out of the boxes crying out things like “ _The Chronicles of Narnia? Hardcover and illustrated? I hate you..._ ” and “ _Is this a limited edition? Gosh, aren't you cocksure..._ ” and “ _The Warlord Chronicles, by Bernard Cornwell? Seriously?_ ”

The rain had stopped and the setting sun shone outside once again. Knowing it'd be useless to try reading again, Arthur changed his jeans for some light clothes, got the weights he kept at his bedroom and started his weightlifting while Merlin blathered on – and, good heavens, when he got started, there was no shutting him up! -, replying to some of his many questions about the books he hadn't read yet and hearing his comments about the ones he had.

“Ender's game! You gotta be kidding me! This is one of my favorite books!” Merlin flipped through the book, sniffing at it and sighing.

Arthur sat down to catch his breath after a series of pushups and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his shirt, which he had taken off at some point. “Really?” he didn't even try to hide his smile at seeing Merlin's eyes shining.

“It's been so long since I've read it!” Merlin went on, dreamily. “I borrowed it from the school's library and didn't set foot there for months, dreading the day I'd have to return it” he resumed pulling the books out of the box and nearly popped his eyes out. “ _What_? You mean there's more of it?”

“You never read the others?” Arthur walked up to him, looking over Merlin's shoulder.

“No, I didn't!” Merlin whined. “I didn't find any other book from the author at the library. But they didn't have that many books, so...”

“I could lend it to you, if you'd like” Arthur offered.

Merlin looked up to him, astounded. “Would you? Why, thanks! I promise I'll give themback to you in no time!” he hurriedly stuffed the books in his backpack.

Arthur went to the kitchen to get some water and filled a jar to give Merlin too. He didn't seem to have drank enough water after all the hard work he did. Then he got upstairs and showered, changing into some clothes he left there for these occasions.

When he got back to the living room, Merlin had just finished organizing the collections in separate piles and stared at the shelves with slumped shoulders.

“Need a hand?” Arthur offered, figuring he was studying a way to climb the steps and carry the books at the same time.

“Ok...” Merlin took a deep breath and slowly started his way up. “Er... Can you hold the ladder in place, please?” he asked, his voice slightly muffed.

“Why should I? It's not like it's gonna run off, is it?” Arthur mocked, but secured the steps firmly at both lengths of wood. “Everything alright up there or should I do it all myself?” Arthur called as he felt the latter tremble.

At first, Arthur thought Merlin was laughing and was about to make a biting remark, but stopped himself short from it. Merlin's lips were pressed tight, his eyes closed shut and he was breathing heavily. It wasn't like the steps were insanely high, it was about nine feet tall, at the most. Merlin had almost reached the top steps, but didn't seem to be able to do anything besides shaking.

“Merlin? _Mer_ lin! Get down here, for God's sake!”

“I-I can't” Merlin confessed, apparently unable to open his eyes.

Cursing, Arthur got around the stair, starting to climb, but the movement made Merlin shout with trembling voice. “Arthur! Arthur, please, don't let go of the fucking ladder!”

“Hold on, I'm almost there. Calm down” Arthur spoke softly as he clambered gently so that Merlin didn't get scared. “It's alright, I'm right behind you” he stopped one step below Merlin's and placed his hand at his back lightly, watching Merlin recoil before relaxing a bit. “Easy... It's alright, okay?”

Merlin nodded and Arthur held him still for a moment until the hands clamping down the wood regained their natural color as he loosened up his grip.

“Let's step down slowly, alright?” Arthur said, keeping his hand to the small of Merlin's back and encouraging him to climb down on step after the other until they reached the ground. Then Arthur lead him to the couch, where Merlin slumped, still shaking, hiding his face behind his palms.

Arthur sat down beside him and waited patiently, restraining himself from reaching his shoulder and bring him closer.

“I'm sorry” Merlin said, finally lowering his arms to his lap.

“Why didn't you tell me before?” Arthur said, unsure if he was angrier with himself or Merlin. “I wouldn't have forced you to go up, you know?”

“I thought I could do it!” Merlin defended himself, then run his hand through his hair, exhaling soundly. “It was stupid, I know.”

“I'm glad you do” Arthur snorted.

“Hey, that wasn't very nice, now, was it?” Merlin reprimanded, already recovering. “You should have said that it wasn't stupid at all, that it's an irrational fear, that I couldn't help-”

“Well, you called me old, the other day. Was it _nice_ of you?”

Merlin snickered. Without a second thought, Arthur held him in a headlock and rubbed his hair with his knuckles.

“Hey! Ow! Ah!” Merlin grumbled, trying to free himself.

“Still think I'm too old? Huh?”

“No!” Merlin shouted, struggling to escape his grip, albeit uselessly. “No, no, no, no! I promise!”

Only then, Arthur released him. Merlin looked at him with a mixture of mirth and annoyance on his reddened face until his features lightened up in a reluctant smile.

“That's better” Arthur smiled back, pleased with himself.

“Thanks, I guess” Merlin said, keeping his eyes locked to Arthur's.

“Now quit dragging your feet and get on with it” Arthur got up, climbing the steps and regarding him from above. “What are you waiting for? Hand me the books already!”

.M.

When they finally stopped to admire the outcome of their work, it was already nighttime.

“Um... I guess your bedroom's shelf'll have to wait tillanother day” Merlin said at seeing Arthur check his watch.

“I agree” Arthur declared and faced him, trying to make up his mind on what to say next. “How about we stay for the night and go back in the morning?”

“Oh...” Merlin furrowed his eyebrows, looking away.

“I mean, only if that's okay with you. Otherwise, I can take you back home. It'll be no trouble-”

“No, no, it's just... All right” Merlin nodded. “I'll just have to call my mom” he searched his pockets for his phone, looking around next, probably trying to recall where he left it.

“Here, use mine” Arthur pulled out his own phone from his pocket and handed it over.

Merlin headed to the porch to make his call. Meanwhile, Arthur picked out more frozen food for dinner: spaghetti and meatballs with some vegetables.

“Do you make a habit of eating this kind of stuff?” Merlin asked as he gave back Arthur's phone, sitting down on the tool by the counter. “Frozen food?”

“When I come here, yes” Arthur shrugged. “I always turn the fridge off when I leave because I never know when I might come back, so I can't leave behind any left overs, can I?”

“But you have a well-equipped kitchen here, from what I can see. Might as well cook your own food, if you wanted to.”

“Is this about the eggs?” Arthur got suspicious. “I'll buy you a dozen when we get to London, is that enough?”

“It's not that, you prat” Merlin rolled his eyes. “You can't cook, can you?”

“Of course... not” Arthur confessed, crossly. “I'm utterly useless in the kitchen. But I have a phone” he waved his mobile. “And a car. Therefore I don't have to live on frozen food, if that's what you're thinking.”

“Typical” Merlin shook his head.

“Hey, what do you mean by that? And don't use that tone with me, young man!” he poked Merlin with a spatula.

“And you call _me_ the kid” Merlin sneered.

They had dinner and drank beer between bickering and bantering and Arthur had a persistent grin on his face while watching Merlin collect the discarded wrappings and empty bottles, after Arthur incited him to “do something, for a change”.

Next, they got up to Arthur's bedroom, where they pulled the sofa bed open and started an epic battle in front of the Super Nintendo. Initially, Arthur wanted to play _Fifa 98_ which, in his opinion, was the best game that ever existed. At Merlin's grimace, however, Arthur gave up on it, suggesting _Goof Troop_ instead. Merlin approved and they'd probably have kept playing all trough the night, had Arthur not lost his temper with their mutual slip-ups and nearly kicked the game console.

A moment later, he apologized and chose to only watch while Merlin played _Chrono Trigger_ till the boy yawned so big he came near to swallowing the controls.

“So...” Arthur said as he turned off the game, putting the controls safely away. “You listen to old songs, play Super Nintendo and I'm the old guy?”

Merlin chuckled and slumped against the sofa's backrest, closing his eyes. He had his feet planted on the sofa seat, clad only in his socks, his long legs squeezed in the narrow space between them. Despite him having used sunscreen, his cheekbones were a bit colored. Arthur was about to check if he had fallen asleep when he spoke in a pensive tone. “My dad had this cassette tapes collection, you know...”

Oh...” Arthur remembered Gaius mentioning Merlin's father had passed away when he was a toddler but didn't know anything about the man other than that, not wanting to press Merlin into saying something, so he kept silent, made himself comfortable on his side of the couch, facing the blacked-out TV screen. One of Merlin's feet touched his thigh lightly and Arthur was more aware of that then he probably should.

“My mom says he used to spend hours listening to the songs, when he was home” Merlin went on, at last, poking at his shirt's hem. “He was an airplane pilot, so he couldn't listen to music when he was flying, but he missed the engine noise when he wasn't.”

“How did he die?” Arthur questioned when Merlin went quiet again.

“He flied small planes, private jets, carrying celebrities or millionaire businessman. Maybe he flew for your dad” Merlin joked, to what Arthur mirrored his smile, albeit his own wasn't that genuine. “One day, when he was returning from Central America, the engines shut down. He was alone with his copilot... There was nowhere to land in the middle of the ocean...”

Arthur wondered if Merlin's fear of heights was somehow related to that. He remembered Merlin's face at seeing the tree house and only then realized he was afraid he'd have to climb up it too. “I'm sorry”

Merlin offered him a tight smile, trying to look unaffected. “It's okay. I was too young. I can't remember him. All I remember was my mother listening to the tapes on and on. I think I came to like it because of that.”

“I didn't get to know my mother” Arthur confessed after a long silence, figuring it was only fair he shared a bit of his own story after that outburst. “She died giving birth to me.”

“I'm sorry, Arthur” Merlin held his eyes, his eyebrows knit together.

Arthur nodded thankfully. Mostly, those words sounded empty when other people said it. Yet, coming from someone who had lost his father so young, Arthur somehow knew it to be true. “All, I know about my mother was told by my uncle” Arthur carried on. “My father never spoke to me about her, but he didn't marry again either. When I was five, he brought Morgana home. She was seven, at the time. I was too young to understand what that meant and only years later I came to find out her mother worked for my dad till shortly before I was born.”

“Oh...” it was Merlin's turn to sound surprised. “I didn't know that!”

“We don't look much alike, do we?”

“Now that you've mentioned it...” he looked thoughtful. “But I hadn't truly realized it till now.”

“And the videogames?” Arthur asked, curious. “Your dad used to play them too?”

“No, not really” Merlin laughed as if it was silly. “Will got a second-hand one” he explained and Arthur tensed his jaw at Merlin's childhood friend mention. “His dad was a police man and was killed in action. His mother received a decent pension, so he always ended up getting something and I'd often benefit from it, by extension. He had no one else to share with. No one ever put up with him for long” he mocked. “I don't know what became of the game console or the games. They weren't that well kept wen he got it, so I presume he threw it away. He has an Xbox, now.”

When the silence stretched again, Arthur rubbed at his eyes and got up.

“Do you want to pick out a bed for yourself?” he offered. “I know you must be dying to sleep in Morgana's bed, but-”

“Oh, shut it” Merlin flung one of the cushions at him before settling down at the sofa, taking up his recently cleared out space with his stretched legs and closing his eyes. “Here's fine.”

“You're gonna sleep like this?” Arthur quizzed. “Don't you want to put on something more comfortable?”

Merlin dismissed the offer with a grunt. Arthur stood yet one moment watching him, preventing himself from throwing a blanket over him, even though it wasn't really cold inside. It was so tempting to look out for Merlin! He looked so frail! Arthur had seen proof that he was stronger than he looked, but watching him tremble up in the ladder and talking about his father had touched upon his overprotective side once again.

Shaking his head to himself, Arthur went to the en-suite bathroom to change into his pajama bottoms. Then he left a blanked at Merlin's feet, in case he got cold later, turned out the lights and climbed the steps to his bed. The ceiling seemed lower than he remembered, up there. Arthur thought he'd take some time to fall asleep, but tiredness seemed to dress him like a thick blanked, leaving his limbs too heavy for him to even move to a more comfortable position. The fact that Merlin was just below, breathing deeply, made him feel relaxed and content.

It felt like he had just fallen asleep when something woke him up.

“Arthur?” he heard a whisper and it took him some time to remember were he was and with whom.

“What?” he mumbled, unmoving.

“Can you hear that?” Merlin whispered on.

Arthur kept quiet, paying attention, till he heard a rhythmic, persistent noise.

“What's that?” he inquired, sitting down and noticing Merlin's figure facing him, only his head visible from the level below.

“I think it's coming from your bathroom but I can't find it!”

“And why are you up” Arthur checked his watch “at four in the morning! What the fuck, Merlin?”

“I'm sorry! It's just that the noise woke me upand Icouldn't fall sleep again!”

Annoyed, Arthur got up mumbling to himself. He turned the bathroom's light on and they both began to look through every corner, the echo making it hard to find the source of the sound. It was Merlin who came up with the idea of taking the shower's drain out and, there it was, a small frog, half hidden in the drainpipe. Not without much difficulty, they moved the amphibian to an empty jam pot and took it outside, dropping it near the woods.

“And once again, the balance is restored to nature” Merlin said solemnly while they stared at the place they last saw the frog.

“What?” Arthur couldn't help the chuckle, trying to hide his amusement with a hand to his face, albeit belatedly, and gazed at him with a furrowed brow. “What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea!” **²** Merlin admitted and they cackled on.

The temperature had dropped significantly outside and Arthur was shirtless and barefoot. He took a deep breath of fresh air, taking a look around. The early hour sky was starting to clear beyond the roadside. At his side, Merlin hid a yawn with the back of his hand.

“Come on, Merlin” Arthur threw an arm around his shoulders and guided him back inside the cottage.

.M.

Merlin was so tired he had slept like a rock the first half of the night. Around three o'clock, though, he had awakened completely, hearing a noise that sounded obscenely high in the silent, dark house. He kept quiet for a while, trying to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was pointless. The previous day's memories took hold of his thoughts and he couldn't relax enough to fall asleep once again, his heartbeat speeding up by realizing he was alone with Arthur, in the middle of nowhere.

Giving up on sleeping, he wandered about the bedroom quietly, using his phone's light to try and locate the source of the noise, although to no avail. He heard Arthur shifting in bed and observed for a while, wondering if he was awake. All it took was one call for him to wake up, sounding irritated.

When Arthur joined him in his pajama bottoms, hair flattened to one side, barefooted and bare-chested, Merlin cursed silently, establishing that, yes, Arthur was that godlike even with his hair askew. God, Arthur was so fucking _hot_! He had broad and strong shoulders, well shaped arms, wide and toned pectorals, firm abs, narrow hips and a remarkable ass. When he turned his back on Merlin to search inside the bathroom's cabinet, Merlin bit the back of his hand not to moan. The way his sweatpants molded itself to his curvilinear backside left no room for imagination.

At least Merlin hadn't started to babble this time, like the day before, at seeing Arthur working out. He couldn't remember half the things that came out of his mouth while he was trying to simultaneously concentrate on his task and cover up his furtive stares at the blond who, fortunately, was too engrossed in his exercises to notice. When Arthur stripped off his shirt and started doing push-ups, Merlin had turned his back on him for a moment, adjusting himself in his pants and fanned one of the books, feeling hot all over.

In spite of Merlin's worries, though, Arthur seemed completely oblivious to the effect he caused on Merlin. His gratuitous exhibitionism, albeit a torture for Merlin, didn't appear to be intentional. Arthur was just exercising, as he used to do, and the fact that he had an audience didn't make any difference to him. Merlin forced himself to focus on the books to regain control over himself, eager and fearful of the moment Arthur'd put on his shirt again.

If he didn't get hold of the situation soon, Merlin was risking having a pretty embarrassing incident in his pants.

It wouldn't even be the first time, actually. Merlin wasn't that used to watching porn – especially given that he didn't have internet access at home -, but he had opened an email he got from Will while using the university's lab – he always checked before clicking, since you never knew what to expect when it came to Will, but he was distracted at the time -, and almost fell back from the shock as he realized what it was about, hurriedly closing the website. As soon as the initial fright faded, though, and given that the computer screen was turned to the wall with no one beside him to nose around – there was no security cameras either, he noted after a quick scrutiny at the surroundings -, he opened the mail once again. It was a very short, very graphic clip – and Merlin didn't want to guess how Will had come across gay porn -, but he pressed replay enough times that all it took was a brief touch over his jeans for him to come. He was so mortified later, he had quickly deleted the video and never so much as mentioned the matter to Will.

And that very morning, after they rescued the frog, Merlin couldn't go back to sleep, remembering Arthur shirtless, leading him back inside the house. It was weird to think about the closeness that had installed itself between them since the day before – and he wasn't even talking about the physical aspect of it, but the familiarity with which they teased and joked around. The fact that there was no one around was a bit scary, even. He had reached an intensity of intimacy he never dared to dream reaching with his boss. Arthur might noteven be attracted to Merlin – if he didn't know it before, the horror written all over Arthur's face at seeing him almost naked on his porch would've being enough to make him wonder -, but he was behaving quite different from what Merlin had anticipated.

He was _taking care_ of Merlin, like he did at the pub, but in a distinct way, at the same time. Maybe because there was no one else around for him to act inthat cocky, dominant way of his. Arthur had made him tea, ensured he was fed and watered, insisted on him using sunscreen, pretty much shoved him down the shower before he got himself a cold... Not to mention Merlin could still feel the blood rising to his face at the very memory of how he had to be rescued from the top of the ladder like a damsel in distress. And Arthur hadn't even mocked him about it! On the contrary, he had being caring and funny and had taken charge of organizing the higher shelves so that Merlin didn't have to go up again.

Arthur had proved to be quite playful too – Merlin smiled remembering the car ride, with Arthur singing along the old songs, wearing his sunglasses and having his hair blown by the wind, poking at Merlin until he joined in. Arthur had cracked jokes, played videogames and smiled freely to the point Merlin had forgotten, at times, that he was supposedly working.

The job wasn't exactly what Merlin had pictured it to be. Painting the windows and mowing was only to be expected, alright, but... arranging the shelves? Initially, Merlin was sure Arthur had asked that with the sole purpose of making fun on him. Now, he started to question his supervisor's true motives by insisting on paying for Merlin's clothes.

It wouldn't be the first time someone considered him some kind of social project, someone to practice their charity to and somehow ease their guilt, only for them to post it on Facebook as proof of the goodness of their hearts. Yet, for the first time, Merlin was willing to give Arthur a leap of faith. After all, Gaius seemed to believe he was a good person and Merlin had to acknowledge that his godfather was really good at judging others character.

After the nocturnal adventures with the frog, Arthur had gone to bed again and didn't make a noise ever since – except for the rhythmic sound of his breathing, which wasn't exactly a snore, but would probably bother him in case Merlin was standing closer to the man. As soon as the dawn cleared the room enough, Merlin abandoned his attempt to sleep and opened one of the boxes by the floor to check it's contents. He lost track of time while he worked and, in no time, the sun was up.

Unable to ignore his stomach's growling any longer, Merlin went down to the kitchen and stared at the fridge's inside, sighing. He'd do anything for some milk, bread, eggs, sausages... Anything but frozen food.

He threw a ham pie in the microwave and prepared himself a cup of tea as it heated up. He was half through the pie when Arthur joined him, fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on the point of view -, already dressed and wearing his shoes. His hair was still a bit messy and his eyes slightly puffy.

When he spoke, his voice was huskier than normal. “Have you slept at all?” Arthur asked, probably having seen his progress with the shelves.

“I'd have slept more” Merlin started, feigning innocence “if it weren't for your snoring.”

Merlin had to hide his giggling behind his tea mug, before the outraged look on Arthur's face. “I don't snore!”

“Easy there, I'm just kidding!” Merlin said before the man burst a vein or something.

Arthur puffed, crossed his arms and puffed again, apparently still enraged by the comment. “What's it, then?” he asked sharply.

Merlin's smile died out slowly and he swallowed dryly. “I may be a bit anxious” he admitted, causing Arthur to scrutinize him. “Do you know how many games you own, by any chance? Because, by my reckoning, it's way over two hundred and there are two boxes leftto go!”

That made Arthur loosen up his defenses once again. “You haven't seen all of it yet” he dismissed, sitting down on the stool in front of him and helping himself to a slice of pie. “Is that tea?” he pointed to Merlin's cup almost innocently.

Merlin rolled his eyes before getting up to make him a cuppa. “You mean you have more?”

Arthur shrugged. “These are only the old ones. I have a closet full of Xbox games at my place. But I have no idea how many there are. Actually...” he stared at Merlin for a moment, accepting the mug from him and sipping at it before going on. “You might as well tidy it for me.”

Merlin frowned, sitting back across from Arthur, supporting his forearms on the balcony. “How big is this closet?” Merlin asked before he could chicken out.

“No bigger than the bookshelves” Arthur cocked an eyebrow.

“Do you happen to play videogames inyour spare time?”

“Sometimes” Arthur pouted and Merlin's eyes lowered to his lips. “Only I don't get that much spare time, lately. Why? Am I too old for playing, now?”

Merlin was beginning to suspect the man was thoroughly bothered by their age difference. Only he couldn't decide if it was just his ego talking or some hint that Arthur wasn't as self-assured as he tried to appear. Merlin looked away from Arthur's lips before he did some foolishness, regretting choosing to sit so close to him. He wondered if it'd be too obvious in case he dragged the stool a few inches to the side, but Arthur kept staring at him intently.

“What do you say?” Arthur pressed. “Will you do it? I promise I'll buy you some eggs.”

“You mean... now? Today?” Merlin asked, slightly frantic.

“No, not today” Arthur said quickly, then narrowed his eyes. “You want to go home already? Because, if that's it, we can leave the upstairs shelf to another occasion and-”

“No, it's not that” Merlin scratched his nape and bit his lower lip. “It's just that I have an essay to finish today” the truth was he should have done it last friday but he was so antsy he couldn't even get started. Before Arthur's concerned look, however, he thought best to clarify it. “But I can finish this shelf first. And I'll do your house's some other time, okay?”

It wasn't like Merlin actually believed Arthur would invite him there again, so he'd better get it over with for once.

Arthur's shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Deal” Arthur nodded, looking down to the slice of pie forgotten at Merlin's plate. “Aren't you gonna eat that?”

“Why? Are you gonna punish me if I don't?” Merlin rolled his eyes, but took a bite anyway. It was only by seeing Arthur's shocked face that he realized what he'd said and pictured himself bent over Arthur's knees as he got his ass spanked.

He had to push the pie down with a gulp of his lukewarm tea not to choke.

.M.

Despite the fact that Merlin hadn't opened his mouth to ask, Arthur helped him finish organizing the games and soon they both got to collect the stuff they had spread out all through the house.

“What'll you do with the leftover paint?” Merlin asked, looking down at the two unopened paint can. “You should return it to the store if you aren't gonna use it.”

“I don't feel like going back to Newbury only to return a couple of paint cans, Merlin” came Arthur's reply from the kitchen. “Leave them at the barn.”

“Alright, but you'll have to watch out for the expiration date” Merlin was about to take them outside when Arthur peeked at the door.

“Hey, will it be of any use to you?”

“Oh, well...” Merlin shifted his own weight from one foot to the other. “Actually, I could paint my mother's windows. Tell me how much you paid for them and I'll-”

“Don't be daft, Merlin” Arthur cut him out bluntly. “Just... get them to the car. Then come pick up the trash. The last time I forgot to take it out, it nearly ate me when I came back. Not to mention the nasty stink it left behind.”

Merlin placed the cans at the floor to the passenger seat, so that he didn't forget to take it out when they got to London. Then he helped Arthur tidying up the kitchen. They loaded everything unconsumed, collected empty boxes and checked the door and window locks. Lastly, Arthur turned off the main water and shut down the electricity.

“You can play One Direction, if you'd like” Arthur said when Merlin connected his phone to the car wireless. Merlin simply stared at him – it was really hard to keep a poker face with Arthur staring right back at him, looking like a fancy sunglasses supermodel. “Or Justin Bieber. I won't judge you for that.”

“Very funny” Merlin snarked and made a note to self to prepare a special play list for Arthur, at the next opportunity.

They didn't talk much on their way back. The music was low – just enough to be audible above the the wind's noise as they drove by at high speed -, the sun was cloudy and the car engine was so silent it looked like they were sliding smoothly on the road. Merlin's head was swarming with thoughts. He leaned into the headrest and closet his eyes for just a second--

He startled awake when the car slowed down somewhat suddenly until it halted at a red light.

“Are we there yet?” Merlin amazed, rubbing at his eyes and checking the time. It was almost eleven in the morning.

Arthur squinted his eyes. “Is that drool?” he pointed and Merlin batted at his hand at the same time as wiping at the corners of his mouth. Arthur laughed. “You're too easy, Merlin!”

“Oh, shit” Merlin cursed as they parked in front of his building. His mother was walking down to them carrying a couple of grocery bags.

Even if the car's roof wasn't rolled down leaving them in plain sight, it was nothing usual to have a Maserati parked at his front door. Therefore, Merlin didn't have any hope of going unnoticed. In fact, it wouldn't be long till the whole neighborhood was craning over their fences to sneak a peek at them and they'd be talking about it for months to come.

“Is that your mother?” Arthur questioned, already unbuckling the seat belt.

“No, you don't have to-” Merlin started, but Arthur had already left the car to introduce himself. Merlin knocked his nape to the headrest before unbuckling and getting out of the car, taking as much time as he dared to gather his stuff.

“It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Pendragon!” Merlin heard Hunith's voice sounding pleasantly surprised.

“Please call me Arthur.”

“Merlin talks about you a lot-”

“Mum!” Merlin whimpered then turned to Arthur. “That's not true, she's only being polite.”

“Sure thing” Arthur said, a crooked smile on his face. “Let me help you with that” he offered, taking the bags from Hunith before she had the time to react.

“You didn't have to, but thank you!” Hunith blushed, giving Merlin a surprised look before leading the way to the building's door.

“Oh, no, that's fine. I don't need any help” Merlin said to no one, adjusting his backpack – which was weighting a ton with all the books the had borrowed from Arthur -, on his shoulders and grabbing the paint cans, kicking the door shut. “No need to bother with me.”

“I can hear you whining, _Mer_ lin” Arthur said careful not to be heard by Hunith.

Once inside his cramped apartment – Merlin couldn't help comparing it to the spacious two-story country house -, Arthur turned his charming mode on and directed it flat-out to his mother, making her melt while making some tea – using fresh herbs, none of the Earl Gray bags there.

Merlin watched as Arthur took a drink, waiting for the moment he'd cover up a grimace. But, if he didn't like it, he did a pretty good job at hiding it, praising the drink whilst taking a look around.

“Is this your late husband?” Arthur asked, gesturing to the only portrait hanging on the sitting room's walls, one of Merlin's parents posing in front of a small plane with their baby at their arms, wrapped up in blankets against the biting cold.

“Oh, yes” Hunith joined Arthur, admiring the old picture. “Balinor was a pilot. This was Merlin's first flight.”

First and only, Merlin completed in thought. He observed from afar, sipping at his tea, while the both of them talked with their backs to Merlin. Arthur was all smiles, commenting something about Hunith not having changed since then – which was an outright lie given that his mother had aged a lot in the last sixteen years. Hunith gazed at their visitor with shining eyes, seeming dazzled by entertaining someone so well-mannered at her humble house. Merlin wondered if she'd act the same way if Merlin had introduced him as his boyfriend, but he had a feeling Arthur would have earned her appreciation anyway. He'd probably be the perfect boyfriend, in her opinion. Refined, elegant, mature, overprotective... She'd probably be making plans for the marriage by now, ignoring the fact that Arthur clearly wasn't interested at all.

When they engaged in talking about Merlin like he wasn't even there - _“I hope Merlin didn't cause you too much trouble”_ Hunith had said. _“He's not used to sleepovers”_ to what Arthur had answered with _“He behaved alright, don't worry. He even ate his vegetables without any complaints!”_ \- Merlin left them to it and went to his room to get started on his paper.

“Aren't you gonna say goodbye to Arthur, Merlin?” came his mother's voice from the corridor, some time later.

“Bye, Arthur!” Merlin shouted back with feigned joy.

Hunith showed up at his bedroom as soon as Arthur left. “Merlin! You didn't tell me he was a gentleman!”

Merlin snorted. “Because he's no gentleman at all. Believe me.”

“Why, don't talk nonsense” his mother dismissed the remark with a wave of her hand. “He was nothing but polite and yet you didn't even cared to say goodbye in person!”

“Sure, 'cause you know him so well already” Merlin retorted bitterly, without taking his eyes from his ancient computer screen.

“No, I don't know him” Hunith said after examining him carefully. “But I know you. What's going on, Merlin? You never complained about your internship before. In fact, I thought you were enjoying it!”

Merlin sighed, looking up to his mother. “It's nothing, mom. Seriously. I'm just worried about this essay I have to hand in tomorrow.”

“But what about Mr. Pendragon?” Hunith sounded concerned.

“Arthur is... a good person” Merlin assured her. “He treated me well. Very well, actually. He...” he slumped his shoulders, breathing out slowly. “You're right. It was rude of me not saying goodbye.”

“Are you happy? There at Pendragon?” Hunith pressed, brow furrowed. “You know you don't need to lie to me, honey. If you're not liking it there, you can find something else. Meanwhile, I can-”

“No, mom. I like it there” Merlin said honestly. “I really do.”

Until a while back, maybe he'd be lying at saying those words, but now he really meant them. And he was enjoying his supervisor more than he probably should, but his mom didn't have to hear about that.

When Hunith left, Merlin slid down to his bed and buried his face in his pillow, feeling like screaming. Truth be told, he wasn't angry at Arthur, not really. He was angry at himself. Before that weekend, Merlin still had hoped that his crush was something fleeting and that it'd end up being overruled when he fully took in Arthur's flaws. But he'd already came across many of Arthur's flaws and they weren't any greater than his appeals. Actually, Merlin ended up finding out that Arthur's flaws were appealing too and now he had to acknowledge that the initial fascination, the physical attraction had evolved into more than it should. So much more Merlin didn't even know how to sort out what he felt anymore.

And, worse even, Merlin was encouraging that feeling. Despite it going against all logic, despite it being pointless, impossible even! After all, why the hell had he accepted going to Arthur's house next? He should have made up some excuse from the very beginning!

Good heavens, he couldn't be becoming that kind of gay guy that always ended up pinning for the straight ones! And Arthur was straight for sure, Merlin willed himself to reason. The fact that the man was single didn't make it least true. In fact, Merlin didn't even know for sure that Arthur was still single, given that it had been two months since the developments at the pub and an attractive, successful bloke like Arthur hardly stayed alone for that long. For all Merlin knew, that beautiful, friendly woman Merlin talked to in front of Arthur's building might very well be his girlfriend, someone he had met at the gym, with whom he used to work out and jog every morning or something like that.

Merlin had arrived early at Arthur's place at the previous morning and thought it best to wait before ringing the doorbell. While he waited, the woman had come out of the building and started up a conversation with him, all smiles and good spirits, whilst awaiting the cab. They hadn't exchanged more than a few words, but Merlin had sacrificed a couple of minutes to make her company until her ride arrived. After all, polite, talkative Londoners were hard to find, nowadays. That woman was the kind of sophisticated person Arthur'd fall for, not Merlin. Never Merlin. And the sooner he understood that, the better for everyone.

Even when taking care of Merlin, Arthur probably did it out of responsibility – he had said exactly that on the way to Merlin's apartment, from the pub -, same way as he'd care for the younger brother of one of his friends. And when Arthur offered that work at his cottage, he likely did it out of consideration for Gaius. Or yet, out of pity at noticing the poor condition of Merlin's clothes.

“My God, I'm so pathetic” Merlin said to his pillow.

He had avoided so fiercely getting involved with anyone precisely for that reason! That heartache, that angst, that anxiety... He didn't have time for any of that and he hated feeling sorry for himself.

Straightening up and wiping the tears from his face, Merlin took a deep breath. “Pull yourself together, Merlin” he told himself. “You have work to do.”

And just like that, he sat in front of the computer screen again and started typing his paper.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **¹** _You're The Voice – John Farnham:_ this scene is inspired on a piece of the Merlin's cast video diaries. You can find it on YouTube as _“Bradley James & Colin Morgan performing 'You're the Voice'”_.
> 
> **²** This scene is based on another video called _“Colin Morgan & Bradley James - The Spider Incident”_.


	9. Part 1 - Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

  
  


**19th week**

Back to the day-to-day grind, it was almost possible to forget everything that happened in Newbury. Arthur was the same arrogant, bossy prat as always. Except now Merlin knew what was beneath that button-down shirt.

On one hand, Merlin did notice the way Arthur used to smile whenever Gwen made a comment on something – even if it was only about the weather –, and the way his lips curled in a snarl whenever one of their colleagues mentioned something about Leon and Morgana’s relationship in a perverse tone – it was beginning to become a recurring topic for idle gossipers. On the other hand, none of that overcame Merlin’s new perception of his supervisor’s possessive behavior. Merlin had often attributed that to Arthur’s need for control and didn’t find anything amiss to that matter. At least until Gwaine planted a seed of doubt in his mind.

“Are you finished, Merlin?” Arthur asked on his way back from the printer – the fact that he had left his office to take his own printing was a victory of its own, Merlin had to acknowledge.

“Ask me again in one week” Merlin said, keeping his eyes to the report he was checking so that he didn’t lose track. He had no idea of the purpose of what he was doing, since the file dated ten years back. “Maybe by then I’ll have an answer for your question.”

“Oh, stop whining, Merlin. Let me know when you finish this one. I have more things for you to do. Tons and tons of things, don’t you forget it.”

“I’m sure you won’t let me” Merlin mumbled once Arthur got back to his table.

After a while, Merlin saw someone come close to his table from the corner of his eye. He was about to tell Arthur to stop nagging him every second if he wanted him to be over with this any day soon, when he saw Gwaine’s contemplative face staring right back at him.

“What are you doing here?” the man asked.

Merlin’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean by that? I’m working!”

Gwaine looked even more confused. “I thought you’d be at Accountancy Division” he regarded Merlin closely. “Arthur didn’t tell you, did he?”

“What?” Merlin questioned, suspicious. “What’s happening at Accountancy? Is it someone’s birthday?” he recalled the birthday parties the other divisions gave sometimes, inviting people from other departments and distributing pieces of cake. It was just like Arthur to keep him from attending out of sheer selfishness.

Gwaine chuckled, shaking his head. “I should have guessed. After all, it’s not like Arthur had become a jealous bastard overnight.”

“Jealous? What the hell are you talking about, Gwaine?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really” Gwaine leaned over Merlin’s table until their eyes leveled. “Is Arthur looking this way yet?”

Merlin looked beyond Gwaine, to Arthur’s office, where - surprise, surprise! - the man was staring at them, clicking and unclicking his pen.

“What do you think?” Merlin said, arching an eyebrow to Gwaine.

“Wanna bet it won’t take another minute for him to come and get me?” Gwaine threw his hair back, winking.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, are you mistaking me for someone who has money to put on a bet?”

“Man, I love you” Gwaine laughed again. “When are you going to go out with us guys again?” he pouted. “We’ve being missing you.”

Merlin sighed. “I promise I’ll try to go this week” Merlin gave his word, although reluctantly. “I’ve been really busy with homework, lately…”

“Alright, alright. If you’re going to consider going, it's something already” Gwaine assured. “So… Are you still a virgin?”

“Wha-?” Merlin nearly popped his eyes out, feeling the blood rushing to his face. “Gwaine!” he hissed, looking around to make sure no one listened to him.

“Relax, I’m just checking” Gwaine winked again, playful. “And your face just now totally gave you away. Is he coming yet?”

Merlin only got the time to nod before Arthur’s voice reached them, loud and deep, as he stuck his head out of his office. “Gwaine!”

“Is this proof enough to you?” Gwaine asked, ignoring the man’s call.

“Proof of what, exactly?” Merlin’s eyes wandered from Arthur to Gwaine and back to Arthur.

“Gwaine, move that useless ass of yours and leave my intern to his work!” Arthur insisted, but Gwaine wasn’t worried in the slightest.

“That he's crazy jealous of you, of course” Gwaine singsonged, his voice silky and tricky as always.

Merlin backed off, skeptic. “Jealous? Of me? Don’t be ridiculous, Gwaine! He’s just impatient for me to be done with bloody reports.”

“Oh, really?” Gwaine said sardonically. “Then he wouldn’t mind if I did this, right?” Gwaine caressed Merlin’s cheek with the back of his hand, making the boy's chin drop in sheer shock.

Merlin promptly backed off whacking his hand away, his face hot.

In the next second, Arthur was standing before his desk, his eyes flashing with rage. “You son of a-” Arthur grabbed Gwaine by the collar and dragged him out of the room, the way he often manhandled Merlin - except much less gently -, while Gwaine laughed and said “Chill, Princess, chill!”

Merlin stood there for a while, staring at the closed door agape before blinking repeatedly and shaking his head, disregarding the way the others stared at him. He got back to his task and pushed it out of his mind for the rest of the day.

Arthur went back to his office a bit later and it looked like he was unusually busy that afternoon. When he wasn’t speaking at the phone and gesturing, he was talking and gesturing to someone who had sought after him in person. Anyway, Merlin didn’t pay that much attention to him, focusing on his current mission.

.Merlin.

By the following day, though, Merlin ran into Gili as he reached the seventh floor.

“There you are!” Gili said, smiling. “Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

“What?” Merlin asked, straightening up his backpack with one hand whist holding his Starbucks package in the other.

“Why did you miss work?”

Merlin frowned, confused. “What do you mean?I came to work yesterday!”

“Did you?” Gili seemed surprised. “Why didn’t you join us at Accountancy, then?”

“Accountancy, you said?” Merlin was genuinely intrigued now. “Why? What’s going on there? And who do you mean by ‘us’?”

“Um…” Gili checked his watch and held the lift open. “We’re on the clock, so... Why don’t I explain it to you on our way down?”

“Down? Me?” Merlin cried in bewilderment. “But…”

“Look” Gili shifted from one foot to the other, impatiently. “Cenred said that all the interns should help them at his division, this week. I only came up to leave my things. Are you coming or not?”

“Oh, you can go” Merlin took one step back. “I’ll… check with Arthur. He probably just forgot to tell me.”

“Ok, I’ll wait for you there” Gili nodded and allowed the lift’s door to close up.

“Hey” Merlin greeted as he made it to Arthur’s office, already taking the tea cup out of the bag without so much as bothering to pull out the rest of the items. They had reached an unspoken agreement about that a while ago and Merlin got to choose his own drink and snack.

“Merlin! So glad you’re here” Arthur said, reaching out for a fresh pile of reports and holding it out for him. “I need you to continue going over this immediately.”

Merlin took the files but didn’t move to leave.

“What is it?” Arthur assessed him inquiringly. “What are you waiting for? A written invitation to get out of my face and get down to work?”

“What’s going on in theAccountancy Division?” Merlin asked once and for all. “Why does everybody seem to think I should be there?”

“Everybody?” Arthur folded his arms in front of his chest, causing his shirt to hug onto his shoulders and biceps. He leaned back in his chair, sending threatening looks beyond Merlin, towards the other staff. “Who, exactly?”

Merlin sighed. “Gili told me that Cenred-”

“Why don’t you tell _Gili_ to mind his own business?” Arthur broke off, as Merlin knew he’d do.

“Well, Gwaine also said-”

“Are you receiving orders from Gwaine now, Merlin?” Arthur accused and the implications of that made the hair on Merlin’s nape to stand on end. “And I don’t give a shit to what Cenred might think. I need you here. Now stop dragging your feet and get on with your work.”

“Yes, your majesty!” pressing his lips tight together, Merlin mock-bowed.

After a while, back to his table, Merlin looked up to see Cenred, the Accountancy Manager in person, marching furiously through the door. He was a tall, slim man and might have been very attractive if not for the obnoxious way he looked down on others. Cenred hurried past the receptionist and fixed his disapproving glare on Merlin as he proceeded to Arthur’s office, rushing in without knocking.

Merlin watched for a moment while Cenred paced the office, gesturing widely. Meanwhile, Arthur remained seated, shaking his head from side to side, his features cold and unmoving. He opened his mouth only to snarl a plain “no” that even Merlin was able to lip-read. At some point, Cenred pointed his finger at Merlin and the boy quickly looked down to his report.

“What’s going on?” asked Gwen, closing in on him. “Looks like things are quite tense around here, lately.”

“Do you happen to know what’s going on down at Accountancy?” Merlin asked, watching her closely. “Something out of the ordinary?”

“Well, I heard Mordred mentioning a new data system about to be implemented, but I don’t know how it could possibly concern Arthur.”

“Could it concern me, though?”

Gwen thought for a moment before shrugging. But then she opened her eyes wide like she had just understood something. “Oh!” she stopped for a brief consideration. “Well… maybe. Sometimes, when one department has an exceptionally high demand, it's common for them to ask for other departments’ assistance, I presume.”

Merlin nodded and they watched Cenred stomping out angrily. Arthur had his brow furrowed, but didn't look as crossed as the other man. When his eyes locked to Merlin’s, the boy was quick to turn his attention back to the reports.

.Merlin.

On wednesday, Cenred was standing at the reception when Merlin arrived at the building. As soon as the manager spotted him, he approached Merlin almost casually, a fake smile on his lips. “Mr. Emrys, right?” he reached out to shake his hand him and Merlin took it out of reflex. “Henry Cenred, Accontancy Manager. Would you follow me, please?”

The man lead the way to the lift, confident that Merlin'd tag along. With one last questioning look to the receptionist – who pretended to be distractedly inspecting her fingernails –, Merlin followed him.

“Er... Excuse-me, Mr. Cenred, but Mr. Pendragon didn't tell me anything about-”

“Don't worry about that” Cenred cut him off, unperturbed. “I'll deal with your supervisor, if need be” he motioned for Merlin to get into the lift first, like a perfect gentleman would do a lady, but Merlin dug in his heels.

“I'm sorry. It's just that I have to take... um...” Merlin glanced at the Starbucks bag he was carrying and hastily hid it behind his back. “I have to take something to him. Urgently.”

Cenred sneered, his polite mask falling apart as he regarded him from head to toe. Whatever he had concluded with that inspection, couldn't be satisfying by the looks of it, but he forced a smile on his face once again. “By all means” Cenred held out his hand. “I can deliver it myself.”

Defeated, Merlin sighed and handed over the Starbucks bag. He knew Arthur wouldn't be happy with this turn of events, but who was he to refuse a direct order like that, especially coming from one of the company's managers. Merlin followed Cenred to the lift and they both got off at second floor.

The Accountancy Division was chaotic. There were people running around carrying mountains of paperwork or speaking concernedly at their phones; a handful of people gathered in the back of the room and another clustered together at the copy machines.

“Mordred” Cenred called, gesturing to Merlin. “Get Emrys here to help with the scanning then head for my room. I need you to stop what you're doing to get the taxes into the system before it's down again” and just like that, he disappeared to the back of the room.

But not before he dumped the Starbucks' bag at the first desk on his way.

“Hey!” Merlin started to protest, but Cenred was too far to hear it, answering his mobile.

“You finally came!” Mordred said gravelly, motioning for the photocopiers. “The way Arthur spoke to me on monday, I thought he wouldn't share youeven by royal decree.”

“Um... Actually, I'm not sure he did” Merlin scratched his head, taking his phone out of his pocked to check on it, but there was no message from Arthur yet.

“Really?” Mordred gaped at him, mirroring his concern. “Well, Cenred'll have to deal with him, then. In the meantime, follow me.”

Mordred lead the way to the copy machines, were Merlin met all the other interns from the afternoon shift – including Gili, who greeted him quickly before turning his attention back to the machine. Apparently, they had to scan an absurd amount of files and label them with some specific name. The digital files would be migrated, then, to the division's new data system, being that the deadline for implementing it was ridiculously short.

Merlin started to work right after a brief explanation from Mordred. He felt his phone vibrating inside his trouser's pocket with a text alert, but Cenred had come near where he stood, talking unhurriedly to one of the analysts and laughing smugly about his own joke whist Mordred and the other staff members seemed to take care of the hard work. It didn't take long for Merlin's phone to vibrate again, this time with an incoming call.

“Shit.”

“Any problem, Merlin?” asked Gili, by his side.

“No, none” Merlin said, exhaling in relief when the call went to the voice mail. However, just like he knew itwould happen, Arthur didn’t give up that easily and called three times in a row. The fourth time, Merlin took advantage of Cenred’s distraction and answered, locking the phone between his head and shoulder while he continued to work. “I’m sorry, Arthur, I-”

“ _Merlin, you good-for-nothing, are you incapable of even answering to your phone-_ ”

“Oh, shut up and listen for once in your life” Merlin said, keeping his tone as low as he could and ignoring the stunned look Gili gave him. Apparently, his words had rendered Arthur speechless too, if the following silence on the line was any indication of that. Before he recovered from the shock, though, Merlin continued his speech. “I’m at Accountancy helping with the-“

“ _What do you think you’re-_ ” Arthur started again, but Merlin stopped him short.

“Shush!” he heard Arthur’s outraged gasping and he was fully aware that he’d pay for that sooner rather than later, but if that was the only way to make him listen, so be it! Besides that, Merlin was secretly thrilled by the opportunity to finally tell him to shut up for a change, he had to confess. “Cenred accosted me at the reception, Arthur. He was pretty much lurking around, waiting for me, and he dragged me here. I couldn’t just say no to him!”

Arthur cursed viciously at the other end. When he spoke again, his voice was deep and dangerous.

“Don’t move” he commanded and hung up.

“As if I could” Merlin grumbled to himself, sliding his phone back to his pocket discreetly. When he looked up to check if Cenred had caught him, he found a weird look on Gili’s face. And it wasn't just him, but the two girls at the nearer machines were clearly eavesdropping on his conversation. “What?”

“Nothing” Gili shrugged and the girls peeked at him, averting their eyes at being spotted.

It didn’t take long before Arthur stormed into the room, the commotion caused by his dramatic entry drawing everyone’s attention to him. As soon as Arthur spotted Merlin, he marched straight to him, his hair somewhat askew, his clothes disheveled.

Merlin’s eyes widened. “Arthur-”

“Shut up and come with me” Arthur held him by the collar and dragged him towards the door.

“What’s going on here, Pendragon?” Cenred’s voice carried from the opposite side of the room.

Arthur halted and snorted like a raged bull before turning around, positioning himself in front of Merlin and forming a solid barrier. Even thought he was slightly shorter than Merlin, Arthur was broader and much more threatening, in such a way that the whole scene was quite impressive - at least to Merlin, who cringed, although Cenred didn’t look all that moved.

“I’d ask you the same question, Cenred. How dare you bring my intern into your mess without my permission?”

“I don’t need your permission when I have the company’s President approval” Cenred mocked, approaching them while the whole division held their breaths. “Uther allowed me to-”

“Uther didn’t sign Merlin’s contract, did he?” Arthur interrupted him. “ _I’m_ Merlin’s supervisor and I thought I'd made myself quite clear before. However, I’m willing to repeat myself, so that we’re absolutely clear: it’s not my problem if you failed to meet the deadline and I couldn't care less to what you’re going to do to clean up this shit, but leave _my intern_ out of it!” he pretty much shouted those last words and Merlin was sure everyone had heard it, given the silence that fell about the room afterward. The humming of the copy machines and a ringing phone - which no one seemed remotely willing to answer at the moment - where the only background sounds.

“You-” Cenred started, but all it took was a brief glace around for him to realize how big of a scene this was becoming. “Why don’t we discuss this with Miss Pendragon, then?”

Arthur’s jaw moved back and forth before he turned to face Merlin, his eyes sparkling with undisguised anger. “You. Wait for me at the fifth floor's conference room” he sentenced and, when Merlin opened his mouth to protest, he continued. “ _Now_ , Merlin!”

With an outraged huff, Merlin closed his mouth shut and spun on his heels, avoiding the stares of the other interns as he stomped out. He pressed the lift button with far more force than necessary.

The fifth floor's conference room was wide, with a lengthy table at the center and about thirty seats around it. Merlin had tested the equipment of the other meeting rooms at Arthur’s request, but that one was his least favorite, with its massive glass walls to one side that he felt dizzy just by thinking of coming close to.

Usually, Merlin avoided even glancing that way, or restricted himself to looking ahead, at the reflexive buildings across the avenue, trying to glimpse the inside of them, wondering what kind of people would be at the other side, what they’d be doing… At the moment, though, Merlin merely paced around, furious at Arthur for treating him the way he did in front of everyone.

He recalled Gwaine’s words about Arthur’s supposed jealousy and finally realized the extent of his supervisor's possessiveness. Merlin wasn’t used to being anyone's subject of jealousy and wasn’t sure if he liked being treated as someone’s property. It was one thing to endure Arthur’s authoritarian behavior at the privacy of his office. Allowing to be subdued in front of the whole company was something else entirely. He abashedly remembered the way the other interns were looking at him and – worse still – the way Arthur had manhandled him for all of them to see. Merlin hadn’t exchanged more than a few words to most of them – except for Gili, who he had met at the college campus more than once – and neither did he careaboutwhat others might or might not think of him, but these developments had thoroughly disturbed him.

It wasn’t like Merlin didn’t know before that his relationship with Arthur was completely out of the ordinary, but the fact that he had just seen it through others' eyes for the first time made him question exactly how uncommon it was. The CRM’s staff was already used to it, especially since they knew Arthur and they were aware that he barked a lot, but hardly bit. Outside the division, though, people wouldn’t know any of that. They could start to talk and Merlin feared the consequences of that to Arthur, more than to himself, if Uther Pendragon heard of it.

Slowly, anger gave way to worry. What if that actually came to Uther’s attention? What if Merlin got relocated to another division, to another supervisor? What if he had his contract terminated?

What if he never saw Arthur again?

At given moment, tired of pacing around, Merlin slouched into a chair facing the glass without actually seeing it. He took his time to acknowledge that he’d probably miss his boss more than the internship itself, or even his paycheck.

.M.

“What could possibly be so important that you can’t dispose of your intern even for a couple of days-” Cenred was saying, but Arthur was done hearing that snobbish bastard talking.

“That’s beside the point. The real question is what were you doing when you should've being finishing your job” he retorted.

“I don’t have time for this foolishness…” Cenred turned to face Morgana, who had her arms crossed over her bosom, looking from one man to the other as if she was watching a tennis match.

“Exactly!” Arthur carried on. “If you cared to stop wasting your time harassing _my_ team, you’d have more time to watch _your own_ and make sure they do their work properly.”

“Enough of this!” Morgana finally reacted, sliding her chair nearer her desk. “I don’t care if you choose to waste your time nitpicking over this as long as you don’t waste my time too. Cenred, you’ve already got six of the seven interns, now make the most with that. Arthur, notify me as soon as Merlin finishes whatever it is he’s being doing. Now, off you go. Come on, move! Both of you!”

Arthur waited for Cenred to step out first, sending one final hateful look his way. He was about to follow him out when Morgana spoke again.

“What is wrong with you?” she reproached. “You know you’re part of the same corporation that he is, right? Have you heard of cooperation between divisions?”

“Oh, cut the crap, Morgana” Arthur snapped. “Quit acting like you’re not glad he’s screwing this up.”

“Don’t change the topic” Morgana insisted, ignoring his comment. “And don’t give me that bullshit of being unable to dispose of Merlin for a few days. You didn’t even have an intern until a few months ago.”

“But now I do! Merlin is mine, I won’t give him up to any idiot who can’t handle his job properly.”

Morgana stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You mean Merlin's your… intern, right?”

“Of course I meant that!” Arthur made sure of sounding offended. “What else could I possibly mean?”

But the truth was Arthur felt like Merlin was his. Full stop. He couldn’t bear to think of someone else ordering Merlin about - besides himself, of course. Especially if that someone was Cenred. Christ, even Gwaine was better than Cenred.

When Morgana had announced that Cenred needed help from the interns at his division, Arthur had quickly arranged for Merlin to have plenty of tasks to perform - no matter how pointless they were -, arguing that he couldn’t afford disposing of his intern, since his services where vital for the CRM’s activities continuation. Arthur had truly believed his plan was going to go smoothly. He had even come to the point of forbidding his staff of mentioning anything about it in order to avoid arousing the boy’s suspicion. When Merlin didn’t show up that afternoon, however, Arthur found himself living his worst nightmare.

“You’re really fond of him, aren’t you?” Morgana asked, her features softening.

“What do you mean by that?” Arthur said defensively, but Morgana just shrugged.

“Don’t worry, little brother, I won’t tell our father you refused to let go of Merlin” she assured.

“I’m not worried about that” it was Arthur’s turn to sound disdainful. Uther was traveling for work and wouldn’t be back before the weekend. Besides, it wasn’t like his father didn’t have more important things to stress about.

Morgana’s smile became predator. “Cenred’s desperate to finish this before Uther comes back. He really thinks I won’t tell father how he waited till the very last minute to move his useless ass!”

“What? Father doesn’t know about this?” Arthur asked, incredulous. “Son of a bitch! Cenred said it was Uther who ordered all the interns to help him!”

“Oh, not possible” Morgana shook her head. “He waited until Uther was gone to come crying to me.”

Arthur shook his head and checked his watch. “Well” he got up, straightening his jacket. “It’s been great catching up with you, but I have a meeting in a bit. See you around.”

“Oh, Arthur?” Morgana called before he had the chance to leave and he turned to face her, but his sister just shrugged and shooed him away. “On second thought, forget it. Good luck with your meeting!”

Arthur got up to the fifth floor and entered the conference room. The room was empty, except for Merlin, who had dragged a chair to the wall opposed to the glass and was staring ahead unblinkingly. The boy rose up on hearing the door open, but relaxed when he saw it was Arthur. He looked so innocent that the mere idea of Cenred so much as addressing him made his blood boil once again.

“What did I tell you about doing anything without my consent?” Arthur charged before he could stop himself.

Merlin’s face went from disbelief to outrage in two seconds. “He didn’t give me a choice!”

“You always have a choice” Arthur retorted. “You should’ve refused. I wouldn’t let any harm come to you!”

“And you shouldn’t have spoken to me like that in front of everyone!” Merlin snapped back, folding his arms.

“And you didn’t have to look like a startled stoat” Arthur said, remembering Merlin’s horrified face when Arthur grabbed him by his clothes, earlier.

“Yeah? Well, at least I don’t look like a bone idle… toad!”

“Are you saying I look like a toad?” Arthur said affronted, stepping into the boy's personal space deliberately.

“Yeah” Merlin nodded, trying to sound unaffected, but stepping back at the same time. “I’d say that maybe one day someone could magically transform into a handsome prince, but if no one managed till now, I’m afraid it won’t happen at all.”

“Oh, really?” it was Arthur’s turn to cross his arms, moving as close as he dared to without pinning him to the wall. “How can you be so sure? Maybe I haven’t been kissed by the right person yet” Arthur allowed his eyes to travel down to Merlin’s parted and inviting lips and watched him swallow dryly. Merlin was slightly taller than Arthur and that made it all the more easy to stare at his mouth. Arthur wondered if he could get away with kissing him. Just a kiss. Just this once. And then he could laugh and say he was only kidding, only teasing him...

“You do realize you just admitted that you look like a toad, right?” Merlin ruined the moment by speaking. “Just checking.”

Arthur took a step back as if he’d been slapped in the face, acknowledging what he’d been about to do. On second thought, maybe it wasn’t a wise thing to be left alone with Merlin behind closed doors like this. He had to remember Merlin was his _intern_. It wouldn’t be fair to put him in a position such as that - not to mention unethical and unprincipled and _stupid, stupid, stupid_.

“And you do realize you look like a silly brat, right?” Arthur sounded childish to his own ears. He turned his back to Merlin to get ahold of himself, putting a hand on the table to steady himself.

Merlin cleared his throat. “Why didn’t you let me stay there with the other interns? I could just as easily finish the reports later, you know…”

“That’s not the point, _Mer_ lin.”

“So what’s the point, _Ar_ thur?”

Arthur turned to face him with gravity. “The point is I can’t stand that snotty asshole. The point is I want Cenred to shove it all up his ass. The point is you are _my intern_. Even though you’re the worst I’ve ever had.”

Merlin snorted. “I’m the only intern you’ve ever had.”

“That doesn’t disprove my point” Arthur checked the hours and straightened up, searching his pockets for his thumb drive. “Enough of this nonsense. I scheduled an appointment with a client and they’re to arrive any minute, now. I want you to attend to this meeting with me. And I’ll ask you questions later so you better make sure to pay attention.”

“But what about the reports-” Merlin started to question, but Arthur cut him off.

“Forget the damn reports. First thing you’re gonna do when you get back to your table is shred them all, you hear me?”

“Yes, sire” Merlin mocked, accepting the usb drive with a flourished curtsy.

Arthur was halfway to the door when Merlin called him back. “Um… Arthur?”

“What now?” he questioned, checking his watch again. “As much as I’d like to have a DTR **¹** with you, now is hardly the time for it, in case you haven’t noticed yet.”

Merlin rolled his eyes and sighed, putting the thumb drive on the table and walking to him. “I really don’t know why I even bother, you know” he stopped in front on Arthur and stuck his hands inside his jacket, pulling the lapels out. Arthur had left his office so hurriedly after hanging up to Merlin that he ended up throwing his jacket on carelessly. “I should’ve let you make a fool of yourself in front of the clients to teach you a lesson” he straightened Arthur’s tie, which had been slightly askew, and then smoothed his collar, his hands sliding drown Arthur's shoulders and collarbone over the thick fabric.

Merlin had kept his eyes down all the while, focusing on his task, lips tight, brow furrowed in concentration. He was so close Arthur could point out the smallest imperfections on his skin, smell his shampoo and notice the way his grown fringe lazily touched his eyebrows. And then Merlin raised his glowing dark blue eyes. Arthur longed for holding him in place, stopping him from backing off, but remained still as Merlin stepped back, bumping into the table and stuttering. “Er… Um… I’ll just… run the presentation now” Merlin said, waving the thumb drive about and hurrying to the computer, but not before tripping over a chair and almost falling flat on his face.

“You do that” Arthur cleared his throat, placing his hands to his waist and ignoring Merlin’s goofy clumsiness in favor of the heat spreading out inside his chest. “I’ll go down to welcome them and I'll be back shortly. Make sure you don’t forget to remove the lid to the projector this time!”

Only when Arthur got into the lift that he understood something. Morgana had almost warned him about the disheveled state of his clothes, but had stopped short from doing it. She was probably laughing at him in that very instant, imagining Arthur looking like an idiot in front of his clients.

Well, Arthur'd never say it out loud, but he was grateful that she didn't warn him.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **¹** DTR: Discuss/Define The Relationship. When two people discuss their mutual understanding of a romantic relationship (casual dating, serious boyfriend, etc).


	10. Part 1 - Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** beware of the sexual tension ahead.

 

**Chapter 9**

  
  


**20th week**

“Remember what we talked aboutbefore” Merlin said when they were arriving at The Rising Sun.

“Jeez, you sound like my mom” Will mumbled, sulking.

“That’s ‘cause I learned it from her, she's the most experienced person when it comes to handling you” Merlin retorted, halting to stare at him sternly. “Will, I’m serious. I’ll have you know that if you don’t behave yourself, we’re gonna leave and I’ll never bring you with me again.”

“Hey, it was you who begged Gaius to let me come with you!” Will sounded outraged.

“By all means, then” Merlin folded his arms to his chest. “If you want to go back to the apothecary, be my guest!”

Will rolled his eyes and puffed like a spoilt brat. “Okay, fine. I’ll behave myself. But if Morgana’s in there, I won’t answer for my actions.”

“Will!” Merlin started to protest, but shook his head to himself, defeated. “Come on, let’s go before I change my mind.”

As soon as they set foot in the pub, Merlin spotted Gwaine coming back from the bar holding a couple of beers. “He came!” Gwaine walked straight to him, grinning, offering him one of the bottles as he assessed Merlin from head to toe. “Princess is gonna be happy to see you like this…” he paused at noticing Will. “But he definitely won’t be happy to see _you_. Who are you, by the way?”

“Gwaine, this is Will, my best friend” Merlin introduced.

“Will, the best friend!” Gwaine cheered, looking relieved, placing the other bottle in Will’s hand. “Don’t you startle me like that ever again, Merlin. I was already thinking you’d gotten yourself a boyfriend and didn’t tell me!”

“Eww” Will pulled a face at the same time Merlin said “God, no, thanks.”

“So, who’s this princess you mentioned?” Will asked, sipping his beer.

“Come on, I’ll show you to the guys” Gwaine guided Will to the fullest and noisiest table at the pub and Merlin followed them, eager and frightened at the perspective of seeing Arthur.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Arthur’s eyes locked to his before Merlin had the chance to reach their table. Merlin couldn’t identify the emotion reflected on the man’s gaze but, when Arthur turned to Will - who had just been introduced by Gwaine -, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Merlin swallowed, forcing a smile onto his face while exchanging greetings with his friends. Looking on the bright side of things, at least Morgana wasn’t there.

“Have a seat, Will. Make yourself at home!” Gwaine got him a seat near Arthur, the cheeky bastard. “Percy, hold on a sec, I’ll be right back with your beer and mine. Merlin, why don’t you join me?”

Merlin placed his untouched beer in front of Percy and spun on his heels to join Gwaine on his way to the bar. Gwaine guided him through the crowded place with a hand to the base of his spine.

“I don’t blame you for doing this” Gwaine supported one elbow to the counter to look at him while they waited to take their order. “But I's a dangerous game you're playing here. He'll end up bursting a vein or something, the way he's holding his breath, you know?”

“What?” Merlin asked, puzzled. “What are you talking about? You don’t blame me for what? Who'll end up bursting what?”

“I'm talking about you making Arthur jealous, of course” Gwaine spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You should’ve realized by now that he’s not very good at dealing with it.”

“I’m not trying to make Arthur jealous!” Merlin cried out, although now he began to question if that wasn’t exactly what he’d been trying to do, even if unconsciously so. “Wasn’t he worried that I came alone, last time? Well, now he won’t have any reason to complain, this time. Will may very well take me home today.”

“I knew he had taken you home!” Gwaine made a victory gesture. “Wait, I think I bet on it with someone but I was so smashed I have no idea who it was” he shrugged. “Percy must know. Anyway, who knows? Maybe you’re right and that drives him to make a move at once. Let’s just hope he doesn’t ruin everyone’s night while he makes up his mind.”

Merlin was about to ask again what the hell he meant by that when the bartender came to them. The first thing he asked was for Merlin to show his ID, pointing to the Challenge 21 sign. Merlin offered to pay forhis and Will's drink, but Gwaine wouldn’t hear of it, saying that this round was on Arthur, anyway.

“Gwaine” Merlin held his friend’s arm before they got back to the table. “What the fuck are you trying to tell me?”

“He’s crazy about you, Merlin! I can’t believe you haven’t realized it yet!” Gwaine shook his head, unbelieving. “Now let’s go back before he comes and gets me, and charges me for taking advantage of you. You see, it's not that I wouldn’t love to take advantage of you, but my hands are pretty occupied at the moment” he winked and turned his back on him, leading the way back.

Merlin closed his mouth shut again - it was pointless trying to talk to Gwaine when he was in that state of mind. He didn’t believe his friend's words for a second. Arthur? Crazy about him? That didn’t make any sense! The fact that he was jealous of Merlin – and Merlin had to admit that there could be some truth to that, after analyzing his behavior closely over the past few days –, didn't mean he was interested in Merlin _like that_. People could feel possessive of anything or anyone, truly. At the very most, this could mean Arthur regarded him as his property -– however unsettling that might sound.

Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, Merlin followed Gwaine back to their table. Someone had placed one extra chair next to Will and, although Merlin didn't end up facing Arthur this time, they were close enough for Merlin to feel the man's stare. And, by the looks of it, he wasn't the only one.

“Alright, what's going on between you and your boss?” Will asked a bit latter, helping himself to some snacks.

“What?” Merlin looked around to see if someone was eavesdropping, but fortunately everybody seemed distracted with something Elyan was telling. “How's that?”

“Why does he keep looking at me like he wants to tear me a new one?”

“Because that's what he looks like” Merlin answered hurriedly. “Besides, aren't you used to people looking at you like that?”

“Ha bloody ha” Will said. “Hey, do you still get him tea every day?”

“Yeah, but-” Merlin furrowed his brow, about to ask him that the hell it had to do with the topic of the moment, but he never got to say it.

“Hey, Pendragon!”

“Will!” Merlin hissed between his clenched teeth, gripping at his friend's arm intending to pinch him, but Will easily ditched his hand.

“Merlin talks a lot about you, ya know?”

“Does he, now?” Arthur asked, giving up his supposed conversation with Lancelot to regard him, crossing his arms in clear animosity.

“Will...” Merlin tried again in a warning tone, but was promptly ignored.

“Yes, he says he spits in your Starbucks every day.”

“No, I don't-!” Merlin said indignantly. “Will! How dare you-”

“Oh, really?” Arthur addressed Will with fake interest.

“Yes. He also often pins post-its to the bottom of your cup saying ' _JE SUIS LOSER_ '. **¹** So, when you tip it to drink, it shows to everyone!” Will demonstrated it with his own beer bottle and Merlin saw when Leon scratched at the corner of his mouth not to laugh.

“Indeed?” this time, Arthur looked straight to Merlin.

“No, I-” Merllin started to deny it, but Will arched an eyebrow to him. “Alright, fine, I admit it... But it was only once! And by the beginning of my contract! I swear I didn't do it again-”

“He also pins messages to you back inviting others to kick your ass, but no one ever took the bait” Will shrugged. “I wouldn't think twice, ya know?”

“Is this true also?” Arthur inquired after glancing to Gwen from the corner of his eye. She quickly averted his eyes and was trying very hard not to giggle.

“No!” Merlin fidgeted in his seat. “I never wrote _that_ , exactly...”

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur sounded thoroughly outraged while the others laughed openly now and Merlin tried to mend things up.

“I only wrote harmless things like 'I'm a prat' and stuff like that. But it's not like I don't say it to your face , so...”

“You all knew it and never cared to tell me?” Arthur questioned his friends, specially Leon and Gwen, who looked sightly ashamed – but not to the point of feeling remorseful. “I can't believe it!” Arthur looked around as if seriously considering leaving the table.

“He also usually-” Will started again, but Merlin shut him up with a hand on his mouth, while the other held him by the nape, pulling him close to whisper into his ear.

“Shut your gob or I'll tell everyone you sent a nude to _you-know-who_ and, guess what? Her boyfriend is right there!”

“You're no fun” Will said as soon as Merlin released him.

When Merlin looked up, Arthur was glaring at him with narrowed eyes once again.

“Merlin talks a lot about you too, you know?” Arthur announced, calling Will's attention. “He says he's tired of kicking your ass at Fifa.”

Merlin's eyes widened in disbelief. How did he know Will was nuts about that game? Merlin couldn't remember ever telling Arthur that bit. Although Will was nuts about any game, if he really thought about it. Arthur could have guesses any one and he'd have hit a nerve.

“Oh, he wishes” Will disdained, looking at Arthur from head to toe. “And what would you know about playing Fifa?”

“A lot more than you” Arthur declared, his voice low and dangerous.

The silence that followed was broken by Gwaine, who wolf whistled. “Someone is getting pissed off” he said and Merlin thought he should have seen it coming. Gwaine was bound to stick his nose to it sooner rather than later. “Will, I'd strongly advise you against competing with this one. But, if you're up to the challenge, I'll take care of the bets.”

Will assessed him for a while, seeming to be considering it.

“Don't you dare, Will” Merlin intervened.

“It'll be fun to watch this posh old man getting his ass kicked” Will said at least, holding Arthur's stare. “I mean, how old does he think he is? Fifteen? I play Fifa pretty much since birth and he sits there, playing the businessman with his daddy and fancying himself pretty clever!”

Merlin was about to tell him Arthur probably had about ten years of advantage over him, but Arthur's voice stopped him.

“So? Are you gonna chicken out?” Arthur pushed, his lips curled scornfully.

Will got out of the iron grip Merlin kept on his arm and got up, shaking Arthur's hand firmly. “Challenge accepted.”

Merlin face palmed and grunted while Gwaine collected the stakes and they agreed upon the match.

“Next friday?” Leon frowned. “But it's your birthday, Arthur!”

Merlin nearly popped his eyes out, but Arthur simply shrugged. “So what? I expect everybody at my place eight o'clock.”

The clatter that followed was deafening. Will was nearly climbing up the table like a UFC fighter receiving the cheers from the audience before the fight. Merlin was confident that someone would invite them to get out of the pub at some point, but no one seemed to notice them. Meanwhile, Merlin held Arthur's gaze while the man dismissed his friends' supportive taps to his back. Merlin couldn't tell if Arthur was pleased or sorry about what he just did, but the way he stared at him made Merlin shiver all over.

Merlin averted his eyes at last and downed half his bottle at once.

.M.

“Here” Leon said as he sat besides Arthur, offering him a glass filled with an amber liquid.

“What's this?” Arthur asked, even though he could've taken a guess.

“Whiskey” Leon shrugged. “You look like you could use a grown up drink.”

Arthur thanked him and downed it allat once, putting the glass down on the table and staring at it for a moment. Even without looking directly to Merlin, he couldn't turn his subconscious off of the boy, mindful of every move, every grin he exchanged with Elyan, every unconscious touch to his childhood friend, every glance at Arthur's way...

“What's going on?” Leon asked smoothly. “And please skip the part where you insist it's nothing and cut to when you admit you're upset with something. Or some _one_.”

Arthur exhaled, spinning the empty glass around on the table and watching the lights reflected on it. “I should head home” he admitted, even though he knew he wouldn't be capable of leaving knowing that Merlin was staying behind.

It had been three months since Merlin came to the pub with them for the first and only time and, although Arthur had craved and feared the possibility of him being there in equal measures every time he joined his friends at The Rising Sun, he was getting used to the idea that Merlin'd probably never come again. And then Merlin had shown up, to his delight, with his hair fashioned with hair gel as if the wind had blown a certain way, wearing his black jeans, the ones that made his legs even longer, and a black t-shirt that shaped to his slender figure, making him look thinner than he really was. **²**

On the other hand, to his displeasure, Merlin came accompanied by William.

The whole night had been frustrating, until then. Merlin showed a familiarity with Will that he'd never share with Arthur. After all, they had grown up together, shared memories and important moments, knew each other like the back of their hands and even communicated with each other without uttering a word. Besides all that, they were the same age, hung out with the same people, enjoyed the same things... How could Arthur compete with that? It was impossible and that was eating him from inside.

He had challenged William on the spur of the moment, acknowledging the only thing he actually had the upper hand over the boy, but now he regretted it bitterly. He hadn't planned anything out for his birthday that year, although he had to face it that his friends would hardly let it pass unnoticed and would probably show up at his place uninvited and drag him to the pub anyway. But now, not only Arthur had set up a party but also included Will as his special guest.

Arthur looked up as he caught notice of some movement on the corner of his eye and watched as Will got up, rounding the table to join the Marketing girls, ignoring Merlin's warning glare.

“You should talk to him” Leon said, at his side.

“To whom?” Arthur faked obliviousness.

Leon simply arched an eyebrow instead of answering and Arthur cursed under his breath. It was bad enough that Gwaine was proving to be a lot more perceptive – or nosy, depending on how one looked at it – than normal, now Leon too? Was he being that obvious? Could Merlin have realized it and may that be the reason why he was avoiding Arthur the past couple of days, since the incident with Cenred?

Arthur had noticed that Merlin was unusually serious, lately. He didn't react that much to his teasing, obeyed his orders without questioning or complaining, avoided talking to him more than necessary... Arthur was so disturbed by it all that he felt his stomach burning with concern. Had he gone overboard in the conference room the other day? Had he scared Merlin with his forceful approach? Or was Merlin more upset than he had let on by the way Arthur'd treated him at Accountancy?

Damn, those doubts made him edgy. Arthur sent one last mournful look to his empty glass, wishing he hadn't finished it so soon, before nodding to Leon. “You're right. I need to do something about it” he got up, earning a encouraging tap from his best friend. He headed to Will's unoccupied seat before someone did it – Gwaine had already gotten up, but Arthur beat him to it, so the former sat back with a grimace.

Merlin turned his attention from Will as he noticed Arthur and his eyes widened instantly.

“So-” Arthur began, but Merlin interrupted him.

“Arthur, I swear I never _ever_ spat in your tea. I wouldn't be capable of doing it, you know it, right? God, I promise I wont tell anything to Will ever again... As for the other things he said, I admit it wasn't very mature of me. But, in my defense, it was right after you pulled that prank on me and, to be honest, I still hated you back then-”

Reconsigning Merlin's nervous rambling at the beginning of that speech, Arthur had rolled his eyes reached out to take one of the mineral water cups someone had placed on the table – probably Lance – and opened it, before handing it to Merlin. “Drink it or I'll shove it down your throat myself” Arthur said, thrusting the cup in front of Merlin's mouth threateningly.

While Merlin obediently occupied his mouth with the drink, Arthur forced himself to stop staring at the bobbing of his adam's apple and look him in the eyes.

“Are you free this weekend, by any chance?” Arthur asked before he chickened out.

Wide-eyed, Merlin lowered his cup slowly, his wet lips pouting invitingly. “Why?” Merlin questioned after a quick glance at Will's direction.

Arthur didn't bother to take his eyes from Merlin to check if Will – or anyone, really – was watching them. Actually, he couldn't care less to anyone besides Merlin, at the moment. “Apparently, I just set up a birthday party” Arthur faked a nonchalant tone to his own voice. “I'd like to arrange my games before that, if possible. Actually, I'd've called you before if I wasn't worried I could take you off of your studies. By the way, shouldn't you be on break by now?”

“Er... Yes, kind of” Merlin said, his eyes never lingering on Arthur long enough. “It's just I took more classes than recommended and some of my professors gave me a couple of extra weeks to finish my assignments. I mean, actually, I went after my teachers when I got the internship intending on ditching some classes, but they ended up suggesting a plan so that I didn't have to give up on any subject and I was too glad to refuse it. Only now I'm aware that it actually means spending most of the mornings on the college's library when everybody else is on break and-”

“Merlin” Arthur sighed. “I asked you a simple question.”

“Oh, right” Merlin swallowed. “Well, anyway. I think I can do it. I managed to get some of my research done over the last week.

“I'm not getting in the way, am I?” Arthur narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

“No, no, um...” Merlin scratched at his nape. “To be honest, I had arranged to catch a movie with Will but... after what he just did to me, I think it's safe to say it's not gonna happen anyway. So... Yeah, why not? When do you want me to show up?”

“Tomorrow at eight in the morning is okay with you?”

“No problem” Merlin shrugged.

“Deal” Arthur nodded and finally allowed a cocky smile to pull the corners of his mouth up. “So, you don't hate me anymore?”

“What-?” Merlin nearly shrieked.

“You were just said that you _still_ hated me back then, which means you don't hate me anymore, right?”

“Oh...” Merlin looked down. “Yeah... Well... You're not that bad-” and then he carried on in a low tone before taking another gulp of his water. “-even thought you're a spoilt, arrogant prat.”

“And you're a stupid brat.”

“Cabbage head.”

“Buffoon.”

Merlin smiled, flashing his lined up teeth and Arthur took his time to appreciate it before looking down at the table. He spotted the fries plate and dragged it in front of Merlin. “Now eat.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, but obeyed, stuffing his mouth eagerly whilst Arthur grinned smugly.

.Merlin.

At exactly eight o'clock on that saturday morning, Arthur's doorbell rang. Arthur picked up the intercom unhurriedly. “Who's there?”

“ _Um... Me? Merlin?_ ” Merlin's voice sounded uncertain. “ _You remember asking me to come yesterday, right?_ ”

“Of course I do. I'm just checking. You're never on time” Arthur teased and pressed the button to open the door, hanging up before Merlin could answer.

Grabbing his tea cup, Arthur opened the door and leaned on the doorpost, waiting for Merlin. This time, Merlin got the lift.

“I'm never on time?” Merlin said as soon as the elevator's door opened. He was dressing casually and, unlike the other day, his clothes fit perfectly to his body. “Could it possibly be because you make me stop at Starbucks every day?”

“Oh, stop whining and come in already” Arthur stepped aside and was pleased to noticed the way Merlin's eyes kept trailing down his exposed arms and legs. He congratulated himself for the outfit choice: simple and comfortable tank top and shorts.

Merlin walked past him huffing and Arthur closed the door behind him with a sigh. It was good to have Merlin to himself once again, with no worries about sharing his attention with anybody else. Even though Arthur couldn't do much more than admire the view while poking him.

Merlin snorted, coming to a halt at the end of the short entrance hall, peeking at the inside of the place. “Of course you have a two-story apartment.”

“Haveyou had breakfast yet?” Arthur asked, ignoring the sarcastic comment.

“Yes, I have. Thanks.”

Arthur merely arched his eyebrow to him before guiding him to the kitchen. As a matter of fact, there was one single wide room subdivided: kitchen and dinner room to the right, partitioned by the kitchen counter, and the living room to the left, taking up the better part of the area. Arthur took a box of donuts off the counter and pushed it into Merlin's hands, who held it reflexively.

“Have a seat. I'll make you some tea” Arthur stated, dismissing Merlin's insistence that the he didn't have to.

“Do you always have this kind of food for breakfast?” Merlin asked grinning, still standing in the middle of the room, finally giving up on his hesitance and grabbing a donut. "Shouldn't you be watching your weight or something?”

Arthur stared for a moment, scrutinizing him. “Are you calling me fat?”

“No, I'm just saying someone of your age should take better care of their health and-”

“You do realize who you're talking to, right?” Arthur cut him off. “Do you know I've fired people for much less than that, before?”

Merlin tipped backwards as if he'd been punched, his eyes nearly popping you of it's sockets.

Arthur held his stare as long as he could before smirking and shaking his head. “You're too easy, Merlin” Arthur teased, offering him a tea cup. “Every time...”

“You-” Merlin stopped himself short from cursing, the dread giving way to indignity.

Arthur pointed for him to seat by the glass four-seated table behind the counter. “To answer you question, no, I don't eat donuts every day. But I know you operate on a high-calorie diet, so I got prepared. And, before I forget myself, the fridge is loaded with eggs – as well as milk, bacon, ham, sausages –, so feel free to raid it whenever you want to.”

“You talk like I'm a starving man” Merlin huffed, attacking his donut eagerly.

“Because I know you too well” Arthur said, bewitched. “Besides, I need to keep you running if I want you to finish it before the night's out.”

Merlin moaned. “I knew you were lying about the amount of games” he licked a drop of cream from his thumb seeming oblivious to the sensuality of the gesture. “That or you just ordered a special delivery simply to keep me busy all day long.”

“You can handle it just fine” Arthur assured, helping himself to one donut. “And when you're done with it, I'll let you play as long as you like. Whatever you'd like” he didn't intend for the offer to sound so filthy but, when Merlin blushed and averted his eyes, clearing his throat, he realized maybe he'd said those words a little huskier than necessary.

“So...” Merlin got up and batted his hands to his trousers to get rid of the lingering sugar. “I better get started.”

“Come see the shelves” Arthur guided him to the living room, pointing to the low rack – which he had ordered to be cut by half of it's high as soon as he got back from Newbury, so that Merlin didn't have to climb a ladder to reach the higher shelves – set up all around the electric fireplace, but Merlin had come to a halt in front of the TV.

“How many inches is this thing?” he sounded horrified.

“Seventy-five” Arthur shoved his hands to his pockets and watched Merlin's eyes go from the TV to the electronic devices below. His eyes got round and his chin dropped.

“You _have got_ to be kidding me” Merlin reached with his hand like a kid in front of a toy shop window. “Is this a-”

“Nintendo Wii U” Arthur shortcut and gestured to the next device. “PlayStation 4” he pointed to the third one. “Xbox One.”

“Anything else?” Merlin asked, sarcastic.

“Well, there's a Nintendo 3ds in my room. Not to mention the old consoles in my office-”

“Oh, fuck me”Merlin folded his arms. “This is getting ridiculous! How old are you, again? Nine?”

“You missed by twenty years” Arthur held him by the shoulders, dragging him till the rack. “The games should be arranged in here.”

“And where are they now?” Merlin looked around. There was nothing besides the sofas and fancy armchairs, the center table and some scattered overpriced ornamental pieces.

“Upstairs” Arthur smirked, nudging him to the staircase whist Merlin grunted and face palmed, allowing to be manhandled.

“I'm not sure I want to see this. Honestly, I think I'm gonna be sick. I'm having the sweats. I think I'm feverish. You better keep your distance from me. Actually, I think I better leave not to risk-”

“Merlin?”

Merlin merely shut his mouth tight, entering the room to the right, after Arthur motioned for it. The guest room had a double bed, two bedside tables and a pretty simple decor, in Arthur's opinion. He took a moment to enjoy the view of Merlin standing in the middle of the bedroom before shaking those thoughts out of his mind – unfortunately Merlin wasn't there for that kind of doing – and instructed him to open the closet's doors.

“Fucking hell” Merlin cursed.

“There's more inside, you know?” Arthur nudged him in the ribs and Merlin whimpered, grasping his hair like he was about to tear it out.

.M.

Together, they boxed up the games to carry them downstairs, starting with the more recent and the ones Arthur liked the most. They left the older ones for last – save for the ones Arthur knew he'd play more often –, since Arthur suspected the shelf wouldn't fit them all.

Once they were back to the living room, they replaced the center table out of their way, scattered the games across the tapestry rug and started to separate them by brand name and then sorting them out. Merlin didn't question it when Arthur sat down on the floor with him to separate the games, but sometimes he'd find an evaluating look on the boy's face.

“What?” Arthur asked when he came across that contemplative look once again.

“Nothing” Merlin shook his head, turning his attention back to the games he was sorting out. “Is it my imagination or you're really into sword-fights?”

“I'm into many things” Arthur said, looked up while keeping his face turned down.

Merlin choked on nothing. When Arthur straightened up to have a proper look at him, he was pointing to one of the games. “King Arthur?” Merlin coughed, punching at his own chest. “Really?”

“Do you need any help there? Can I get you some water?”

“I'm fine” Merlin rolled his eyes. He read the box's printed words. “How is it that one can never choose to play as Merlin?”

“Because Merlin doesn't actually do anything. He just waves a magic wand and says a load of gibberish” Arthur disdained. “Besides, it's a sword-fighting game, not a sorcery game.”

“I don't think Merlin'd be the kind to use a magic wand. At the most he'd have a staff, like Gandalf. I mean, it's not Harry Potter” and, as if to prove his point, he shook the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows 2 game. “And this makes me wonder if you really find it that ridiculous to _wave your wand around_.”

Arthur's jaw dropped as Merlin laughed. “Merlin, what've we said about you trying to be funny?” he said, keeping a serious face. He had to refine that skill during his childhood to make it to adult life with an older sister like Morgana, but she could still beat him at that.

“I shouldn't” Merlin answered, getting serious again.

Arthur hit him with the Call of Duty box he had in hand. “Do you want to put some music on?” he gestured with a headshake in the direction of the stereo system. “You can use the bluetooth.”

Merlin didn't think twice to reach for the remote control and turn the stereo on, choosing one of the playlists on his phone.

When the first tune started, Arthur tried to identify the singer, but found out he couldn't. “Who is this?”

Merlin made a mischievous face. “Justin Bieber! And wait till the end of it to say if you don't like it.”

“Will you change it if I don't?”

Merlin shrugged. “No.”

Arthur really wanted to say it was awful, but he gave up on it. First of all, because he'd be lying if he did – especially since the rhythm was pretty good and Bieber sounded like he had grown up a bit since _Baby_. Secondly, because Merlin looked like he was really enjoying it, singing along quietly. And thirdly, because of the bloody lyrics he was mouthing - “ _Is it too late now to say sorry? 'Couse I'm missing more than just your body..._ ”³

When the second tune followed and Merlin announced it was One Direction, Arthur felt justified to be offended. “Is it me or are they really singing about morning wood?” Arthur said after listening carefully to the chorus: “ _Waking up beside you I'm a loaded gun. I can't contain this anymore. I'm all yours, I've got no control! No control!”. **⁴**_

Merlin simply shrugged, avoiding his eyes, but Arthur thought he saw a light coloring to his cheekbones.

“They sing to teenagers!” Arthur wouldn't let it go that easily. “There must be some law forbidding it!”

“Sure, 'cause teenagers don't know a thing about morning woods” Merlin sounded sarcastic.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Well, you tell me, Merlin.”

Merlin turned his face away, pretending to straighten a pile of games.

Fortunately, not all of the musics were allusive to sex and Arthur ended up expanding his understanding of current musical culture, listening to Pink, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift and the likes of artists he used to turn up his nose on only by hearing their names.

The morning went by quickly and they achieved quite a lot progress with the organizing. At thirty past eleven, Arthur went to the kitchen to get the delivery menu of the local restaurant he used to order his food – nothing fancy, just the closest to ahome-cooked meal he could get to himself without actually having to cook it.

“Is there something off limits to you when it comes to food?” Arthur asked while he chose, holding his phone in hand.

“No, nothing.”

“Something you don't like? Something you're allergic to?” Arthur insisted.

“Not really” Merlin sounded unconcerned. “My mom says I have a cast-iron stomach.”

Arthur wasn't surprised. If fact, he couldn't recall a moment where Merlin had turned up his nose on anything edible, not even when Arthur used to pick the boy's snacks from Starbucks menu. He chose some roasted meat, vegetables, sauce and a portion of fries – Merlin seemed to enjoy them –, as well as a berry pudding for dessert.

“Where's the lavatory?” Merlin asked when Arthur hung up.

“Below the stairs” Arthur pointed the right way.

While he waited for the food to arrive, Arthur set the table, opting to serve orange juice instead of any alcoholic drink. He didn't know why, but he suspected Merlin wasn't one to appreciate wine.

“Merlin?” Arthur called when Merlin didn't show up soon after he heard the door to the bathroom opening.

He found the boy at his study, a small room beside the bathroom where Arthur set up a workstation for him to use whenever he needed to work from home – although, in fact, he preferred to use his laptop in his bedroom then sitting there. He also stored all kinds of things in there, in simple metal shelves which took one of the walls from floor to ceiling. Merlin was reaching for something on the shelf but, when Arthur got close enough to look over his shoulder, the boy lowered his hand and hit his crotch with something.

Hard.

“Ngh!” Arthur doubled over, releasing the air from his lungs and protecting his bits with his hands, although too late.

“Oh my God!” Merlin spun in his heels to face him, alarmed, whist Arthur laid down on the floor, momentarily blind from the pain. “Fuck! Arthur, are you alright?”

When Arthur opened his eyes again, Merlin was leaning over him, his eyes round with worry. Arthur grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “No, Merlin. I'm not alright. I'm dying” he grunted. “If I need an intern in the next life...”

“Don't ask me” Merlin nodded once seriously and Arthur released his shirt, huffing something between a laugh and a cry of pain. “Do you want me to get any ice or something?” Merlin asked, his brow still furrowing in sympathy.

“Ice?” Arthur asked, unbelieving. “Merlin, are you trying to finish castrating me?”

“They say it helps with the pain!” Merlin defended himself.

“Have you ever put an ice bag to your balls?” Arthur watched as Merlin pulled a face. “That's what I though. I can assure you it's not very pleasant” Merlin blushed with the comment. “Besides, what did you hit me with?”

“Um...” Merlin reached for something lying on the floor next to him and lifted it for him to see. It was one of his ten-pound dumbbells. “With this?”

“Christ, Merlin!” Arthur grunted again, although the pain had withdrawn considerably. “What did I do for you to treat me like that?”

“Hey, I wasn't the one sneaking upon someone holding a dumbbell!”

“I wasn't- I didn't see-” Arthur sighed, giving up on finishing his speech.

“Now stop crying like a girl and get up” Merlin said, standing and reaching out with one outstretched hand.

“I'm not crying like a girl!” Arthur said. "And I'm the one who gives the orders, remember?”

“Yeah. You ready? Let's go.”

With an incredulous shake of his head, Arthur accepted the offered help to get up, ordering Merlin to put the weight back to its place before he hurt someone else or himself. The doorbell rang soon after and Arthur buzzed the delivery guy in.

“Oh, wow” Merlin said as they opened the boxes of food and placed them on the table. “It's actual food! I wasn't sure you knew what real food was.”

“Shut up and eat” Arthur told him, pushing him by the shoulders until he sat by the table.

As they had lunch, Arthur asked about Merlin's studies, about his mother, Gaius and even his friend William – after all, Arthur was polite and the fact that the freckled boy was far away from them diminished the threat, even though it wasn't entirely gone. He had already forgotten his worries when Merlin's humor suddenly started to wane. The boy became gradually more serious and less loquacious.

When Merlin finished eating, Arthur sighed, reaching for his juice. “What is it, Merlin?”

“What?” Merlin looked up from his plate, which was empty except for the skin of the roasted tomato he was throwing around with his fork.

“Something's been upsetting you. What is it?

Merlin leaned back until he hit the chair's backrest, his brow furrowed. “Is it just me who's finding all this... odd?”

“What do you mean by 'all this'?” Arthur asked, genuinely confused.

“This!” Merlin gestured widely, encompassing the place as a whole, then gestured for the empty food boxes. “All of this!”

Arthur gazed at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. “You're at my home, helping me organize my games collection, exactly as we agreed upon. I don't see any oddity in this.”

“Is this what I'm doing here? _Helping_ you? 'Cause I got the impression you'd call me here to work, but it doesn't look like working to me.”

“Working?” Arthur said, puzzled, trying to recall exactly what he'd said to Merlin. “Why did you think that?”

“I thought I was still paying for my clothes?” Merlin gestured exasperatedly. “Like before, in Newbury? I mean, at the cottage you at least pretended that I was actually working, but here?”

“Pretending?” it was Arthur's turn to sound frustrated. “What on earth you mean by that, Merlin?”

Merlin sighed. “I know what you're doing. You could have payed anyone to do all that without having to babysit. And the Starbucks' snacks you insist on buying me? You think I don't know you pay it out of your own pocket and don't ask for refunds, like you said you did?”

“Merlin-” Arthur started, even though he didn't have a clue what to say next.

But Merlin didn't let him finish, anyway. “Look...” Merlin shook his head. “You don't have to keep up with this facade. And I'm not particularly keen on being your subject of charity, so-”

“You're not my subject of charity!” Arthur said indignantly. “I didn't call you here out of any facade-”

“Then why did you call me here? You could have very well done it on your own!”

“And do I need a reason now?” Arthur asked, thoroughly bothered, and Merlin merely crossed his arms in response, arching an eyebrow.

“And this is when you tell me you only wished to appreciate my company” Merlin mocked and Arthur averted his eyes, finding himself incapable of either denying or confirming those words. “Oh, shit” Merlin muttered under his breath.

“Listen, Merlin” Arthur took a deep breath to keep his temper, still avoiding to look at him, fearing Merlin's reaction to what he was about to say. “If you're not comfortable, you can leave whenever you'd like. I'm not stopping you, you know?”

“It's nothing like that” Merlin assured. “It's just that... Well, it's nothing, really.”

But Arthur suspected there was something, by the unusual way Merlin was acting around him lately. Just the thought of Merlin assuming he was there simply out of obligation made Arthur feel the weight of his own responsibility towards Merlin. The boy was so pliable, so susceptible... Arthur had to be more careful in the future to the sake of his own conscience.

“Merlin” Arthur said firmly. “If there's something else troubling you, you better say it at once.”

Merlin rubbed at his eyes, looking tired. “You confuse me, okay? You act in one way when we're alone but you're someone else entirely when we're not! It gets me confused, that's all!”

Arthur kept silent for a moment, trying to digest all of that. He didn't have any reasoning against that accusation, especially since he knew it to be one hundred percent true. He _felt_ like someone else when he was alone with Merlin.

“Look...” Merlin took a deep breath. “Forget it. It's nothing, really. I just didn't see it coming. It's... It's almost as if we were...” he looked like he was searching for the right word, but then he gave up, shaking his head and exhaling audibly.

But Arthur knew exactly what he intended to say. It was almost as if they were friends. Which wasn't possible and maybe never would be.

“Merlin” Arthur searched for his eyes. “Here and now? We're not supervisor and intern. Nor boss and employee. Here we're just Arthur and Merlin, alright?”

Merlin nodded in a reassuring way. The solemnity of the moment was so uncommon it was disquieting, so Arthur felt the need to break it. “Great. Now get this lazy ass of yours out of this chair and fetch the pudding from the fridge.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, taking the napkin from his lap. “Yes, Sire” he said as he stood. “You're so kindhearted, allowing a peasant like me to sit at the table with Your Highness.”

.M.

After lunch, Merlin helped him clear the table and load the dishwasher. Merlin put some music on again and they got back to work. In less than one hour, the games were already arranged in the shelf – or at least the ones that fitted in there, since there were still some boxes left upstairs.

Arthur let Merlin choose one game, then, while he put the center table back to its place. Then he made some popcorn in the microwave and they played The Last Of Us for about three hours, the time flying by unnoticed. When Merlin cast a longing stare to the empty popcorn bowl, Arthur shooed him off to the kitchen, showed him were to find the frying pan and cookware and watched while Merlin fixed some omelets, babbling about one incident in which his mother had traveled to visit one of his aunts and he had survived one entire week on an eggs-based diet – the boy hadn't exactly kept count of how much he bought, but he suspected it was over three dozen.

After they ate and drink the bottles of beer Arthur took from the fridge, Merlin got settled on the sofa once again, taking hold of the remote while Arthur made a brief trip to the loo.

As soon as Arthur got back to the living room, Merlin turned to face him with an impish grin. “Arthur, I just found the perfect TV show for you” he pointed the remote to the TV set, turning the volume up.

“What the hell?” Arthur drew his eyebrows close, trying to understand what he meant by that as the person interviewed spoke about a healthy diet.

And then he read the caption with the topic of the show: “How to age healthily”.

“You-!” Arthur surged towards Merlin, who squealed and sprung to his feet, running off, still laughing. “Give me the remote, you twat!”

“I'm just trying to help!” Merlin rounded the sofa, but Arthur climbed it up and jumped, landing on top of Merlin and tackling him down.

Arthur managed to absorb the most part of the impact on his knees and arms, but ended up with his face hovering a few inches from Merlin's stomach. The boy wasn't so fortunate, plopping to the floor with a startle, followed by a wail. To Arthur's ears, that wail sounded so filthy that it caused the blood to immediately change it's course in his veins, channeling south.

Arthur couldn't take his eyes off of Merlin's belly. His shirt had moved up with the fall, revealing a tantalizing peace of skin, from the waistband of his jeans to his navel. Arthur's breathing, ragged for the sudden effort and by arousal, was so close he was sure Merlin could feel it. Arthur looked up without moving an inch back and met Merlin's rounded eyes staring right back at him. Merlin had supported his weight on his elbows, lifting his upper body a few inches from the ground and gaping at him, his lips parted in astonishment.

Deliberately, Arthur crawled up until one of his knees got dangerously close to Merlin's groin, between his sprawled out legs. His movement forced Merlin to lie down on the floor, one of his hands still clutching the remote.

Arthur hovered above him the closest he dared to without actually touching him, one arm at each side of the boy, upholding his own body, and watched as Merlin swallowed dry. “Whose place is this, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur asked, making sure his voice was menacingly low and deep.

“Y-yours” Merlin answered, his voice a mere whisper.

“Whose TV is this?” Arthur's eyes traveled from Merlin's lips to his neck and then to the patch of his collarbone the shirt left uncovered.

“Yours.”

Somewhere in his brain, Arthur could still hear the TV, interviewer and interviewee speaking undisturbed, but was too busy to really listen to anything besides an annoying buzzing which made it difficult for him to hear Merlin's heavy breathing.

“Whose remote is this?” Arthur allowed his eyes to wander lower even, through Merlin's chest, swelling and emptying raggedly, until they reached his jeans, which were so tight Arthur thought he could see the outline of Merlin's dick, as hard as his own.

“Yours” Merlin nearly moaned and Arthur felt a surge of almost physical satisfaction in his stomach while his mind pictured that answer to another question he didn't really voice.

' _Mine_ ' he repeated mentally. ' _All mine_ '.

“That's right” Arthur hummed, lifting his eyes back to Merlin's face and catching his furtive glance to Arthur's biceps, flexed and on display. Merlin swallowed again. “Are you gonna be a good boy and give it back to me, then?”

Merlin nodded slowly, shaking his head up and down, his pupils so wide it was almost impossible to see his irises. He was truly aroused, Arthur concluded, pleased with himself. He wondered if he could make him come in his pants if he kept up with that teasing, but he wasn't sure he could resist the impulse to touch him for much longer.

And then, without another word, Merlin raised his hand, docilely offering him the remote. Arthur let the moment stretch as long as he could, but he had to straighten up eventually, accepting the object before getting up with a frustrated sigh. As soon as Arthur got off of him, Merlin sat down, bringing his legs close to his body in a attempt to hide his erection, his face reddening instantly as he looked away, embarrassed.

Arthur pointed the remote to the TV, changing the channel and turning the volume down whist deliberately giving him time to compose himself. “What do you say about watching **a** movie?” Arthur offered like nothing extraordinary had happened.

“Um... Sure, I guess” Merlin said as he got up. “I just need to... er... I'll be back in a sec” he nearly run off to the loo and only then Arthur adjusted his pants to better accommodate his own erection, glad that he'd chosen to wear baggy shorts.

He tried not to imagine Merlin touching himself in his bathroom, but his mind was past the point of no return. Merlin may possibly think Arthur was too old for him but, apparently, he wasn't as immune to his appeal as Arthur believed him to be. With a persistent grin on his face, Arthur sat down on the sofa, outstretched his legs on the center table and tried to decide what to make of his recent discovery.

.M.

Oh God, Merlin had almost come in his pants again!

Leaning against the bathroom door, Merlin closed his eyes, but his mind was flooded with Arthur's presence once again, his solid body hovering over him, the heat that emanated from him, his hot breathing on Merlin's skin, Arthur's smell, his intense stare...

Merlin whimpered, his hand looming a few inches over his groin, conscious that it wouldn't take much for him to come, but resisting by sheer force of will. He tried not to remember Arthur's crooked smile after looking at the front of his jeans, but it was pointless.

“Shit, shit, shit” Merlin cursed under his breath picturing Arthur laughing at him outside. As embarrassing as it may be, at least the mental image served its purpose to considerably subside his arousal and he exhaled relievedly, splashing some water on his face before staring at his reflexion. “Damn it, Merlin. How pathetic can you possibly be?”

Maybe that was Arthur's way to make him pay for hitting him in the balls – oh God, had he really done that?

Merlin knocked his heat on the sink before squaring his shoulder, taking a deep breath and telling himself to get over it. It was already done. There was no going back. It'd be just one more shameful memory to add to the growing collection of shameful memories, the kinds that he'd remember ten years later, minutes before falling asleep, probably, and would still feel the humiliation as strong as ever, causing the sleep to evade him.

Merlin wiped his face dry with a towel and took the time to actually use the loo before heading out, joining Arthur on the sofa even though he wished to go away and never look him in the eye again.

Arthur didn't say a word about what happened. He allowed Merlin to pick a film from the cable TV catalog and played it, keeping the remote between them as if tempting Merlin to try and get hold of it again. And, God, Merlin pretty much thought of doing just that, his mind picturing Arthur going all the way this time, making him moan his name and cry out that Merlin was _his_.

Merlin was getting seriously worried about himself.

He didn't know what to think of Arthur. He was so confused he couldn't tell what was truly happening and what was fabricated by his overactive imagination. He recalled Gwaine's words about Arthur being interested in him and wondered if he had imagined the way Arthur was ogling him. Besides, there were several times throughout that evening when Merlin got the impression Arthur was teasing him and even hinting that he wasn't as straight as he looked. Not to mention that he had almost admitted he had invited Merlin to his place for no reason other than wanting to spend some quality time with him...

Could it be possible that Gwaine was right all along? But, if it was really true, why the hell Arthur didn't do anything when he had the chance? He had had Merlin submissive and willing right under him and hadn't laid a finger on him.

But maybe it was nothing like that. Arthur could very well be just mocking him, messing with him on purpose. Maybe he had realized that Merlin felt attracted to him and was having a laugh – after all, Merlin wasn't being exactly subtle about it. Or yet, maybe Arthur was merely getting all alpha on him, marking his territory like he seemed to do about everything around him.

Merlin heard Arthur's laugh about something on the movie and forced a smile on his own face, shaking those thought away. Arthur Pendragon was still a mystery and, by the looks of it, Merlin wouldn't be able to figure him out so soon.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **¹** This is a reference to one scene of the video diaries available on YouTube as “Colin Morgan  & Bradley James Je suis LOSER”.
> 
>  **²** Merlin's look in this scene was inspired in Colin's figurine in Doctor Who (episode 4x10 - Midnight).
> 
>  **³** Sorry – Justin Biber
> 
>  **⁴** No control – One Direction


	11. Part 1 - Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A.N:** I'm sorry for the delay, guys. My beta reader, Lexi, had a few mishaps and couldn't go over the chapter for me. Fortunately, I asked Nomi (CallMeHopeless) to help me with this one and she said yes! Thank you so much Nomi! You saved me! Any remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> **Warnings:** alcohol abuse and dubious-consent situation.

  **Chapter 10**

 

 

  
 

**21st week**

“Merlin! There you are” Gwaine called. He had stopped by all the desks from the CRM Division so far, leaving Merlin for last. He put a small cardboard urn on top of a stack of papers on Merlin’s desk and drummed on it. “So… How much are you gonna put in?”

Merlin took his earphones off and stared at him pointedly. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Of course not!” Gwaine threw his hair back. “Tomorrow is the Princess’ anniversary. We’re just making it easier for everyone so that no one needs to rack their brains on what to give him. And if the amount is larger in the end, who’s gonna complain?” he shrugged.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t be racking my brain on what to give him ‘cause I don’t intend to give him anything” it was Merlin’s turn to shrug, turning his attention back to the shredder. He honestly wasn’t planning on buying Arthur any kind of gift, but not because he didn’t want to. The truth was he didn’t have any idea of what to give him. Especially considering what was left of his payment after helping his mother with the bills.

“Why, don’t be so harsh on him, Merlin. You may regret it tomorrow.”

Merlin huffed. “I sincerely doubt it. Besides, I can’t think of any reason why he’d miss my contribution” he said and then, to prove his point, Merlin picked the urn up and shook it, trying to calculate its weight. “You see? I’m sure there’s enough here for him to buy his imported beauty creams.”

Throughout the week, Gwaine had sent daily reminders of Arthur’s forthcoming birthday, letting everyone know that he was to stop by every division, collecting “contributions” on behalf of the birthday boy. Merlin had genuinely believed that to be a joke until he’d seen the urn passing around the Marketing Division when he stopped by to deliver mail upon Arthur’s request.

“I can’t let you sign the card if you don’t participate financially, you know” Gwaine waved what looked like a compact diary. Merlin took the notebook off his hands to flip through it, skeptically. There were pages and pages of signatures and congratulations - as well as a few poems, drawn hearts and messages filled with admiration and flattery, by the looks of it.

“You mean all these people put their money in there?” Merlin said indignantly.

“What can I say? Arthur’s really admired around here, regardless of what you may think.”

“Sure. Admired, indeed” Merlin disdained, while reading a very passionate note which ended with the author’s phone number. “This is ridiculous! Why do this people even bother? Does he look like he needs any money? I bet he isn’t gonna bother to even take a look at it before tossing it in the recycle bin. On second thought, maybe he’ll tell me to shred it first.”

  
Merlin flipped back to the first page, which was filled from top to bottom line in a nearly illegible calligraphy, probably Gwaine's. His eyes were drawn to the last words, though: _'PS: Even though I don't really think you deserve it, Princess, I promise I'm doing my best for you to get the present you want so desperately.'_

“I don't get it” Merlin thought out loud, frowning. “What could he possibly want that he can't afford by himself?”

“You really have no idea, do you?” Gwaine barked a laugh. “Let's make a deal, then. You join in the collection and I'll tell you what it is.”

“No, thanks” Merlin rejected, giving the diary back to him.

“Why, Merlin, I didn’t know you had this much bitterness in you!”

“No, no, Gwaine, I’m serious!” Merlin glared, folding his arms. “Why _are_ you doing all this?”

“Because he's my friend” Gwaine said readily, then added in a solemn tone: “Besides, it’s tradition. We do it every year for his birthday. He doesn’t like getting presents.”

Merlin snorted. Somehow he didn’t doubt that was true, but probably because Arthur knew he could get himself better things, if he cared to.

“Gwaine!” they heard Arthur’s call. He had been answering his phone and that was probably the reason why it had taken him so long to interfere.

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “I’m on my way, Princess!” he assured, getting hold of the urn as he straightened up. “Well, Merlin, if you happen to change your mind till your shift is over, you know where to find me” he winked and took off.

“Can you believe it, Kilgharrah?” Merlin shook his head, outraged.

“Merlin” Arthur got to his table as soon as Gwaine left, sending a weird look towards the plastic dragon. “Follow me. And bring the report of the print shop I sent you yesterday” he ordered and headed to the door without bothering to wait for him.

Merlin turned the shredder off, disconnected his earphones and grabbed his file from the drawer to tail after him. Arthur held the door open.

“Where are we-” Merlin began to ask as he stepped into the hall, but tripped over his own feet and dropped the file, the papers inside it scattering about the floor. “Shit!”

“Were you born clumsy or do you work at it?” Arthur asked, watching with his arms crossed over his chest while Merlin collected the paperwork.

“It’s just one of my many gifts” Merlin said, faking a smile. Arthur rolled his eyes.

As they entered the lift, Arthur pressed the number five, which meant they were heading to the conference room. Merlin frowned. “Do you have an appointment today?”

“Yes” Arthur nodded, arching an eyebrow. “With you.”

“Oh!” Merlin’s eyes widened and it was Arthur’s turn to frown.

“Have you or have you not mentioned that I had to fill out some report for your college, _Mer_ lin?”

“Oh, sure!” Merlin relaxed. “But it’s no big deal. I didn’t need an appointment for this. I’ve already filled out the most part of it, all you gotta do is write a few words and sign it.”

Arthur shrugged. “I have a couple of things to discuss with you.”

“Right” Merlin followed him to the conference room, trying not to let his anxiety show.

Arthur pulled up a chair for Merlin to sit and took his place right next to him, spinning his chair to face him. “Have you read the Diagnosis I sent you?” Arthur asked, to what Merlin nodded once. “And what did you think of it?”

“Um…” Merlin flipped through his file tensely till he found the printed report with his notes written on it. That was the Diagnosis resulting from the first client Merlin had visited with Arthur. “What exactly do you want to know?”

Arthur took a deep breath. When he started to speak, it was in that lecturer tone he used when he was giving a presentation to a potential client. “I’ve said I wanted you to follow a procedure through all its stages, haven’t I? This diagnosis’s been already examined by the Development staff. But, before I send you their report, I’d like to know which’d be your approach. Which conclusions would you make from this initial file?”

“Er…” Merlin cleared his throat, fidgeting before his supervisor’s intense stare. Arthur was so fascinating - even when he didn’t seem to be intentionally using his charm - that he caused Merlin to feel like the most gangly creature on this Earth. “Well… You see, we’re talking about a family business here and the payroll is pretty costly than expected, judging by the print shop’s turnover. They also show high rates of turnover staff, especially at the lower ranks.”

Arthur nodded, as if considering it. “Anything else?”

“They put a lot of money on T&D¹, but only for the top levels” Merlin continued his analysis, encouraged by Arthur's receptiveness. “And they don't have a transparent career plan. The most recent employees who made it to the the high ranks came from outside the company.”

“And?”

“And that's probably the cause of the general dissatisfaction, internally speaking. Which, in turn, also explains the low performance of the divisions affected, lately.”

Arthur pouted, like he used to do when he was impressed but didn't want to give in. “If you were this company's consultant, which suggestions would you make to change this picture?” he asked, keeping his tone of voice even, like a professional interviewer.

“Well... Fist of all, I'd suggest for them to fire the two directors and keep them only as stakeholders.”

“The owner's son and son-in -law?” Arthur sounded amused. “He wouldn't like that, now would he?”

“Their earnings are absurd!” Merlin argued. “And they don't seem to do anything besides naming more relatives to the company's positions.”

Arthur threw his head back as he laughed.

“On second thought, maybe it'd be a bit hypocritical on your part to recommend it” Merlin considered.

Arthur's mirth came to an abrupt halt. His eyes narrowed. “What are you implying?”

Merlin regretted broaching the subject, but there was nowhere to go now other than forward. “Well, Pendragon Consulting is a family business, too. And you and Morgana are directors” he shrugged.

“True, but we don't just sit on our lucky behinds and add family members to the company's payroll” Arthur hissed. “We earned our position, we weren't named merely for being the owner's heirs” he defended himself, sounding deeply annoyed.

“And who's to say you weren't? Whoever was responsible for choosing the candidates could very well have felt obliged to make it easy for you.”

“My father's to say” Arthur sneered. “He always hires an external firm to recruit the directors precisely to avoid this kind of favoritism.”

“Oh” Merlin blinked, surprised. “I didn't know that.”

“Sure you didn't” Arthur kept his outraged pose for a moment, but ended up sighing. “But I don't blame you for assuming it. Most of the staff is likely to be of the same judgment.”

Merlin looked away, embarrassed.

“Very well” Arthur gestured for Merlin to go on, like nothing exceptional happened. “And what else would you recommend for this particular case?”

Merlin took a deep breath and forced himself to concentrate on his case study, despite his nervousness of having offended Arthur gratuitously.

“Come on, Merlin” Arthur commanded, flicking his fingers between Merlin's eyes. “I don't have all evening.”

Merlin bit the inside of his cheeks not to smile, Arthur bossiness causing him to relax a bit. “I'd suggest for the company to structure a career plan in which the employees could have priority over outsiders to occupy position vacancies. For this, they'd probably have to invest more resources in T&D to the lower levels, though, so that they can be prepared to take over the supervising and managing positions. I'd also propose a re-examination of the services pricing. They aren't calculating the costs properly and, if they carry on like that, they won't even have enough money to cover for the payroll in a few months.”

“Anything else?” Arthur inquired, smirking in such a way that left Merlin feeling edgy.

“That’s it, I guess” Merlin scratched at his nape. “Unless you want me to diagram a career plan here and now. But I may not be the right man to do it.”

“You surely aren't” Arthur mocked, scrutinizing him lingeringly before leaning back, folding his arms. “You’re hopeless at a lot of things, Merlin. Well, most things, in fact. But very occasionally, quite by accident, you say something useful.”

“Really?” Merlin feigned surprise.

“If I didn’t know you, I’d be completely fooled into thinking you were…”

“What?”

“Wise.”

They faced each other for a moment, silently.

“Nahhh” Merlin said, at last.

“Yeah, you’re right. That’s nonsense” Arthur agreed and looked down to the table, taking some pages out from the file he had brought. “Here’s the Proposal the Development people sent this morning for our approval. I want you to read it carefully and tell me your opinion. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look at this report you need me to sign.”

Merlin handed over the Internship Activity Report. Before starting to read the Proposal, though, Merlin searched his front pockets for the chocolate coin he had bought at Starbucks earlier. He didn’t want to get up, so he merely stretched one leg to reach further inside his pocket, but to no gain. He searched the other pocket next. When he looked up, Arthur was gazing intently at him, his eyebrows up.

“Need a hand in there?” Arthur asked, almost innocently, and Merlin swallowed audibly.

Arthur didn’t use to be that teasing before - not deliberately, like in that very moment. Yet, since the remote control incident last saturday, Merlin got the distinct impression that Arthur was doing that on purpose to mess with him. And it was certainly working.

Feeling his face burn with embarrassment, Merlin pushed his chair back and got to his feet, pulling the coin out easily from the bottom of his pocket and showing it to Arthur with a forced smile before sitting down again. He unwrapped it and put it in his mouth avoiding to look in his direction. From the corner of his eye, he thought he could visualize a crooked smile on his supervisor’s face and pressed his lips tight, turning his attention back to the paperwork in his hands.

They kept silent for a bit, each one engrossed in his own reading, except for one occasional comment Arthur made now and again.

“‘Assisting with the operational routines’” Arthur quoted. “Is this a fancy way of saying ‘shredding paper, organizing filing cabinets and replacing the printer toner’, by any chance?”

“Exactly” Merlin agreed. “It definitely sounds more interesting to my resume.”

“I noticed you didn’t mention your trips to the laundry facilities” Arthur said a few minutes later. “Nor to Starbucks.”

“It’s implied by ‘acting proactively to ensure the smooth running of the division’s work’” Merlin enlightened.

“It surely makes sense.”

Finishing his reading, Arthur pulled his pen out of his shirt pocket and added a few lines. Merlin tried not to look too interested while peeking at it, but it was impossible to read what he was writing without being obvious about it, so he took the opportunity to read it when Arthur stood by the glass wall to answer a call on his mobile.

  
Arthur had filled out the ‘ _Supervisor’s Analysis_ ’ box with the following words: ‘ _The intern has proven interest and capacity in carrying his activities, always willing to assist his colleagues and contribute to the maintenance of a good working environment. He’s also shown ease of learning new skills and applying the acquired knowledge to add to the company results_ ’.

Slack-jawed, Merlin looked up just when Arthur was hanging up.

Arthur arched an eyebrow. “What?” he asked, defensively. “You’re the one who started with the lies. Although, if you want me to be honest, I can do it all over again.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, but felt his face heating up with pride, anyway.

.M.

By the end of the day, Merlin bid farewell to Arthur and his colleagues before heading out of the division’s room, joining Gili in the hallway, waiting for the lift.

“Hey” Merlin said, somewhat uncertain. They hadn’t spoken since the incident at the Accountancy Division, with Cenred, and Merlin couldn’t help remembering Gili’s face throughout Merlin’s interaction with Arthur.

“What’s up?” Gili greeted back, looking as disconcerted as Merlin. “How are things going around here?”

“Great. How about you?” Merlin tried to lighten up the mood.

“Fine” Gili shrugged. The lift opened and they got in silently. “So… Tomorrow is your supervisor’s birthday, right?”

“Oh, yeah” Merlin rolled his eyes. “I guess Gwaine and his urn passed through your division too.”

“Yeah, well...” Gili swung on the balls of his feet, averting his eyes. “You’ll excuse me if a say I didn’t participate, won’t you?”

“Oh… Sure” Merlin nodded, tilting his head in a comprehensive way. “I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference, really. It's not like your contribution would be missed by him or anything.”

Gili looked relieved and even more emboldened after that statement. “It’s just that… Well, people talk, you know? But I didn’t really believe it until I saw the way he treated you.”

The lift elevator stopped in that moment and Gili got out, leaving a confused Merlin behind.

“Aren’t you coming?” Gili asked, holding the lift’s door in time to stop it from closing.

“Yeah. Right” Merlin followed him to the lobby of the building, where he stopped for a moment.

Gili halted and turned to face him. “Is there something wrong, Merlin?”

“You said that people talk. What exactly do they say?”

“Well…” Gili straightened his backpack on his shoulders. “You know how this gossip thing works...”

“No, I don’t” Merlin moved his weight from one foot to the other, looking back at him with a mixture of annoyance and concern. “Care to explain?”

“How can I say it? They say that Pendragon treats you like a slave? That he forces you to do personal favors for him, like washing his car, polishing his shoes, walking his dogs or something?” Gili sounded thoroughly disturbed, but Merlin was too outraged to notice.

“What did you say?”

“Look, I’m not the one saying it, okay? I’m just the messenger here. And I’m only telling you that because I wouldn’t want to be left in the dark If I were in your shoes. In fact, if it were me, I’d have already handed over my resignation or at least asked to be designated to another supervisor. You know you can ask for it, right?”

“You really said 'walking his dogs’?” Merlin asked, bewildered.

“Merlin” Gili put a hand on his shoulder. “I know that he’s the son of the company’s president and that his sister is the director of HR **²** Division, but I don’t think she’d refuse to relocate you if you threatened to report Pendragon.”

“Report him?” Merlin shook Gili’s hand away, taking one step back. “What the fuck are you talking about? Arthur doesn’t even have a dog! This is not The Devil Wears Prada, you know? And it’s nothing like that! Arthur isn’t just ‘the son of the company's president’, he's a quite competent professional... Do you have any idea of how many friends he has in here? People he’d trust with his life, if it came to that!

“I'm sure he does” Gili mocked. “Friends very well placed at the business ranks, right? I'd bet that's no coincidence.”

But Merlin didn't really listen to him, continuing with his passionate defense. “Besides, he doesn’t treat me like a fucking slave!”

“Are you sure?” Gili said, skeptical, and Merlin felt like he was being treated like the abused wife, reluctant to admit that her husband was violent. “’Cause I’ve seen how he nearly dragged you out of the room and forbid you to leave his office! No one told me that. I saw it with my own two eyes!”

  
Flooding with anger - toward Gili, the other interns and everybody else who didn’t settle for minding their own business and insisted on sticking their noses in other’s -, Merlin took a step forward, pointing a accusing finger at Gili’s chest. “I’ll have you know it’s nothing like what you’re saying. Arthur is a dedicated, reasonable and a brilliant professional, if you must know. People respect him! He earned it for what he truly is, not because of his family name. Besides, he’s no tyrant! He was only angry that day because Cenred stepped over his decision! If someone acted like an overbearing bastard, that someone was Cenred, who pretty much forced me to his division _against my will_ ! And not that it’s any of your business, but I wouldn’t exchange my supervisor for anyone, understand? And that’s not ‘cause I don’t have the courage to ask Morgana, but ‘cause Arthur, other than being brilliant, also values my work and respects me!”

Gili had stepped back and his faced went from astonishment to resentment throughout his speech. “Hey, there’s no need for you to get all bitchy on me, okay?” he threw back angrily. “I told you before, I’m not the one passing the word around! I was just trying to help! But you’re absolutely right, it’s none of my business.”

“It really isn’t” Merlin agreed, still mad. “And you know what? There’s something I gotta do before I go home.”

That said, Merlin turned around and rushed back to the elevator, hammering the forth button. As he got there, he barely waited for the door to open before running to Gwaine’s desk, relieved to find him sitting on the tabletop, darting paper clips at Elyan, who pointedly ignored him.

“Merlin!” Gwaine rose at sighting him. “I knew you’d show up” he held Merlin by the shoulders and guided him to his desk, offering him the urn. “I believe you’re looking for this, right?”

“Right” Merlin said, his breathing still hard because of the adrenaline rush. He took his backpack off his shoulders and pulled his wallet out. He didn’t have that much money on him, but he had managed to save a couple of tens, which he slipped through the narrow opening of the urn. After a moment of contemplation, he took a chocolate coin out of his pocket and added it too.

“That’s quite generous of you” Gwaine marveled, fetching the diary with the signatures and a pen. “Here you go.”

Gwaine peeked over his shoulder while Merlin wrote a few lines and then laughed, patting his back. “Have I told you how much I love you, Merlin?”

“Not with so many words, no. But same here” Merlin admitted, then put a hand between them at noticing the mischievous glow in his eyes. “But don’t let it go to your head!”

Gwaine ignored his warning and held Merlin's face in place, planting a kiss dangerously close to his lips, despite Merlin’s effort to back him off.

“ _Gwaine_!” they heard Arthur’s furious tone and froze in place, looking at the door. “What the _fuck_?”

“Ops!” Gwaine hurriedly let Merlin go, taking a couple of steps away from him and even Merlin swallowed audibly because of Arthur’s raged look. “Easy there, I was only kidding! I didn’t even actually kiss him! There’s no reason for you to look like someone stole your favorite toy.”

From the corner of his eye, Merlin could see Elyan laughing openly at Gwaine's frightened face.

Arthur’s narrowed eyes turned back to Merlin. “What are you still doing here?”

“I’m leaving!” Merlin said, throwing his backpack back on his shoulders as he walked past him, to the door. Arthur followed his route close with his eyes, but Merlin avoided looking back at him.

“ _You son of a bitch_ -” Merlin heard Arthur shouting to Gwaine before the lift’s door closed up and took a deep breath, shaking his head. Gwaine could very well take care of himself. And maybe he’d think twice before trying to kiss him again.

.Merlin.

“Surprise!” his friends cried in unison as soon as Arthur set foot in his own office.

“You know the walls are transparent, right?” Arthur asked sarcastically. “And, even if they weren’t, I’ve heard your bickering from the ground floor!”

“Oh, isn’t he sweet in the morning?” Gwaine said, holding Arthur's face in place to smack him on the cheek, holding him tight afterward. “Happy birthday, Princess!”

Leon was next to congratulate him, followed by Gwen, Lance, Elyan, Mordred and Percy. Arthur endured his friend’s well-wishes knowing it was pointless to argue. They couldn’t understand how someone could hate his birthday since their childhood, like Arthur did, and they insisted it was a time for celebration and that it shouldn’t go uneventful. For that reason, Arthur told himself to take a deep breath and face the day with bravery, if not for himself, then for his loyal friends.

“Here’s your gift. We almost hit four thousand pounds this year!” Gwaine said, handing him a very thick envelope and a diary looking quite stuffed and worn up. “I’d get started by the last page, if I were you” Gwaine whispered to his ear, winking, before turning back to Arthur’s desk, rubbing his hands. “Well, looks like the gifts are already coming!”

“Don’t touch anything, Gwaine” Arthur warned him, putting the notebook away for later inspection.

“So, how’s it gonna be?” Gwen asked enthusiastically. “Do you want me to get started with the calls?”

“No need to” Arthur dismissed, sighing. “I’ve been meaning to leave it to Merlin, this time. But I’ll tell him to look for you, in case he needs any help.”

Arthur wasn’t particularly pleased by the perspective of letting anyone in charge of Merlin - even if that someone was Gwen -, but he had a feeling that his day would be quite busy.

“Oh, okay, sure” Gwen nodded, good spirited. “I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh! I’ve just found the compensation for my hard work” Gwaine lifted up a champagne bottle with an extravagant lace on the neck and a little card attached to it.

“Put it down before you hurt yourself” Percy intervened, dragging a pouting Gwaine away from the table.

“Am I late?” Arthur heard Morgana’s voice and turned, only to be pulled into a hug. “Oh, my little brother is growing up! Enjoy it while you still can say you’re twenty something. Believe me, you’re gonna thank me for this advice in the near future.”

“Hold a sec… Is this a gray hair?” Elyan asked, pretending to pull a strand from his head, but Arthur batted his hand away with a annoyed gesture and told him to kiss his ass.

“I heard something about a party, but I must’ve missed my invitation” Morgana crossed her arms in feigned sulking.

“Why would I invite you when you’re clearly going as Leon’s plus one, anyway” Arthur shrugged.

“Hey, guys” Percy called, pointing with his thumb to the other side of the glass walls and everybody turned to see Uther, who had just arrived and seemed to be seriously considering turning back around.

In a blink, they all bid farewell to Arthur and scurried out of his office, greeting Uther politely as they walked past him. Morgana was the first to get out, the traitor.

“Arthur” Uther said as he got in. He walked to his son, standing in front of him and laying a hand on his shoulder.

“Father” Arthur answered in the same serious tone his father had spoken in.

Uther patted his son’s shoulder, nodding to himself. “Twenty nine years” he said in a contemplative tone, assessing his son with a frown, in a way that always left Arthur thinking his father was searching for Ygraine’s features on his face. Anything that’d remind him of her. “Sometimes I can’t even believe it myself…”

Arthur allowed to be measured by his father, remaining still and with a blank expression until Uther sighed, putting some distance between them, shoving one hand in his pockets while the other pushed the window blinds apart to peek outside. Only then did Arthur release the air from his lungs.

Arthur should’ve gotten used to this, after all these years. Uther wasn’t the most warmhearted person on a regular day, but somehow he managed to be even more somber on the anniversary of the birth of his son. Maybe that was the reason why Arthur never really liked the occasion, not even before he understood what it represented. His father always became taciturn, stern and pensive on this particular day of the year, making Arthur apprehensive and edgy, eager for the day to end soon and everything go back to normal.

“Would you like some tea?” Arthur offered politely.

Uther accepted and started up a conversation about some of the company's most profitable customers, about economy and politics, until he checked his watch and concluded that he had already fulfilled his obligation towards his son, making some excuse do leave. Arthur felt relieved when the man was finally gone, thinking about finally getting some work done. As soon as he was left alone in his office, though, the operator started to patch through call after call.

Arthur thanked his customers, acquaintances and distant relatives for their well-wishes and congratulations, just like it was expected of him: with a smile to his voice and gratitude. Also, the presents wouldn’t stop coming, to his growing displeasure. Even though his colleagues didn’t feel obligated to buy him gifts after Gwaine came up with that collection idea, some of the clients and associates insisted on sending him treats and tokens of appreciation, which Arthur only bothered to open so that he could thank them when they called to make sure that he had received them and that it was to his liking.

It was only by the end of the morning that Arthur finally got to pull the notebook out of his drawer, flipping through the multiple, lengthy, colored notes, filled with all variety of sayings, until he reached the last page, which had a Starbucks’ chocolate coin attached to it by a paper clip. Arthur smiled and pulled it free, recognizing Merlin’s calligraphy bellow.

‘ _Congratulations! Now you’re an older prat!_

_From your worst intern ever,_

_Merlin (just so you don’t mistake me for some of your many other interns)’_

He laughed and reread the note, his eyes lingering on the word “your”. He shook his head, securing the dairy back inside his drawer before answering yet another call, feeling a bit lighter than before.

By lunchtime, Arthur was glad to have an excuse to leave his office and clear his head, having lunch with his friends at his favorite restaurant, a couple of blocks from the building. At precisely one o’clock, he was back at his table again, waiting for Merlin, who was supposed to arrive any minute now. Just like any other day.

Except that someone had had the brilliant idea of gifting him with a bouquet of balloons.

.M.

Merlin could hardly believe his own eyes when he sighted the colored, exuberant balloons occupying a large part of Arthur’s office, whose desk was cramped with boxes and wrappers.

“Arthur?” Merlin called as he entered the office and it took him the briefest of the glances to realize that his supervisor wasn’t in the best of moods.

“Merlin, do something about this table, will you?” Arthur said and then glared grudgingly at the balloons, which floated happily about the place. “And about this hideous… thing.”

“Yes, sire” Merlin had to purse his lips not to laugh while he stepped ahead to place Arthur’s tea on the table and grab the weight holding the balloons in place. “And where should I take it?”

“I don’t fucking know! Do I have to think of everything? I don’t care what you do as long as you take it out of my office” Arthur rubbed at his temple before gesturing to the gifts on his table. “After that, you can collect this rubbish and take it all to Elyan. He’ll know what to do with it.”

Merlin took the balloons to his workstation before going back to grab as many things as he could carry at once. There were fancy diaries, expensive pens, bottles of liquor, chocolate boxes, amongst other things.

“Leave the cards” Arthur instructed, placing his hand on the speaker of the phone for a moment, but turned his attention back to whoever was at the other end of the line before Merlin could ask any questions.

As Merlin reached the fourth floor, he dumped everything on Elyan’s desk.

Elyan wolf-whistled. “Wow! Is this all?”

“No. There’s more. I just don’t have that many arms.”

“Sure. Can you help me store them in the back?”

“Of course” Merlin declared readily.

“Alright. Let’s do it before Gwaine gets back and spots this whiskey. I won’t hear the end of it if he dreams about it.”

“What do you mean?” Merlin asked while handing the items to his friend one by one, for him to put them inside the small cabinet already cramped with junk.

“Oh, we give them away to the employees whenever there’s some in-house function.”

“Really?” Merlin marveled, looking at the bottle of whiskey in a whole new light. “Arthur gives it all up?”

“Company’s policy” Elyan shrugged. “Although there’d be no harm done if kept the small ones” he pointed to the pens, diaries and chocolate boxes. “But he never keeps anything.”

“He doesn’t look very excited about the occasion” Merlin observed.

Elyan nodded. “And who could blame him? You know his mother died giving birth to him, right?”

“Oh, crap!” Merlin said, hitting his own forehead. “He told me, but I didn’t realize... Shit!”

“Yeah, well. I wouldn’t like my birthday either, if I were him.”

When Merlin got back to seventh floor, Arthur gestured for him to come closer, hanging up on his phone and signaling for Beatrice to hold the calls for a moment.

“Yes?” Merlin asked warily. He felt bad for Arthur, but he figured it wouldn’t be of any help voicing it.

“I have a mission for you” Arthur waved a very thick envelope before throwing it on the table, before Merlin. “I want you to call these institutions” he handed him some notes. “And ask what they need: hygiene and cleaning supplies, clothes, shoes, books, whatever it is. Make a list of it and see what you can buy with the amount in this envelope. Try dividing it equally and ask everything to be delivered here in the storage room near the garage today, before four o’clock-”

“Wait, wait, wait” Merlin said, shaking his head after reading the notes for the second time. Then he glanced at the numbers written on the envelope, presumably the amount of money inside. “Is it, by any chance, the money collected by Gwaine yesterday?”

“It is indeed” Arthur said solemnly. “Thank you for your contribution, by the way. Any more questions?”

Merlin shook his head slowly, too stunned to speak.

“Great. If you need any help, Gwen’s the right person for you. And didn’t I tell you to get rid of those fucking balloons?” he pointed to Merlin’s desk.

“Well, actually you said you didn't care were I put them as long as they were gone from your office.”

“I'm rephrasing it, then. I want you to take them out of my sight. I want them gone, you hear me? Give them to some lonely old lady in the streets, give them out to the children in the square, I don't give a fuck! Just get rid of them!”

“But they're so lovely” Merlin pouted unconsciously.

Arthur loosened his tie before rubbing at his eyes. “Alright, fine. If you want the damn balloons, keep the damn balloons. Just don't make me look at them any longer.”

“As you wish, Your Highness!” Merlin curtsied high spiritedly, collecting the envelope and the contact list as he left.

Merlin could hardly believe what was happening, but Gwen didn't look a bit surprised. “He does it every year” she explained after Merlin hid the balloons in the file room, where Arthur never bothered to come in when he could order Merlin to go in his place. “Actually, it was Gwaine's idea, believe it or not. Arthur hates birthday presents. I learned that the worst possible way, when we dated. He was polite and tried to pretend he liked the surprise. But then Morgana told me he didn't like his birthday and the reason why he didn't and I felt like an idiot.”

“You and... A-Arthur?” Merlin stuttered.

“Oh... yeah” Gwen acknowledged shyly. “We went out for a couple of weeks, back in college. But we ended up realizing that we didn't work out as a couple. You can say that we didn't have that much chemistry” she shrugged.

Merlin nodded, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling caused by those news.

“That's why Gwaine suggested taking charge of collecting the tributes in cash, anyway” Gwen went on, oblivious to his uneasiness. “Of course he believed that Arthur'd buy drinks for them or something, but Morgana came with the idea of donating it to a couple of institutions as a way of encouraging the staff to engage in voluntary services and since then it became a tradition for his birthday, as well as Morgana's and Uther's too.”

“Wow” Merlin said, amazed, looking at the institutions names again. There was an orphanage in a distant suburb, an educational institute for people with special needs and a nursing home. “Why didn't Gwaine tell me this?”

Merlin spent most of the afternoon making calls, comparing prices and setting up instructions for delivery. He ordered hygiene supplies for the nursery home, school supplies for the disabled institute and new toys for the orphanage.

  
By four in the afternoon, all the items had already been stored in the garage's deposit and Arthur called for reinforcements, splitting them in three groups for the handing over. Elyan, Gwaine and Mordred were assigned to the educational institute; Gwen, Lancelot and Leon to the nursing home; Percy, Arthur and Merlin for the children's home. Morgana opted to stay back in the company, dramatically stating that “ _Someone had to take care of business, after all_ ”. While they loaded the cars, Merlin got back to the file room at their floor and took the balloons – Arthur's upper lip twitched at the sight, but in the end he agreed to Merlin's plan and allowed him to attach the balloons to the Maserati's rear-view mirrors.

The visit to the orphanage was one of the most wonderful things Merlin had witnessed in his whole life. The kids eyes were gleaming with excitement at seeing the decorated car parking in front of the building; their round little faces flushing and their eyes nearly popping out as they watched them unloading the toys from the trunk and backseat; the smiles on their faces while they looked at the visitors as if they were heroes...

As Arthur pulled out the last hobby horse, one of the kids tugged at Merlin's shirt until he lowered himself to her height and then she hugged him. Simply hugged him out of sheer gratefulness and need for attention.

“Hey. What's your name?” Merlin asked, picking her up. She was surprisingly light-weighted.

“Drea” said the girl. “What's yours?”

“Merlin.”

“Like the sorcerer?” Drea asked, piercing him with her big, honest blue eyes. “Can you do magic?”

“Of course I can! How do you think I got all these presents for you guys?”

Drea looked thoroughly delighted. “And who's that?” she pointed to Percy, who had somehow managed to hold three kids in his arms at once.

“He's an honorable and loyal knight. Sir Percival” Merlin said. “Surely you've heard of him before?”

“How about him?” Drea pointed to Arthur, who was now completely surrounded by a bunch of kids competing for his attention.

“His name is Arthur” Merlin said proudly. “He's a king, you know?”

“A king?” she looked at Merlin as if scrutinizing him. “But he isn't dressed like a king. And where's his crown?”

“Oh, don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. He's honest and brave and truehearted, and one day he'll be the greatest king this land has ever known. But today, we're all undercover. Promise you won't tell our secret to anyone?”

Drea solemnly nodded her agreement.

One of the ladies in charge of the children's home asked Arthur to pose for a picture with the kids. Arthur was reluctant at first, but the kids insisted. Arthur, then, spoke to his little subjects with authority, instructing them to position themselves around him as he kneeled down. In that moment, their eyes met and Merlin felt his pride overflowing from his chest as Arthur's features changed slowly into an open smile, all the seriousness of moments before already forgotten.

Someone called Arthur's attention for the camera and Merlin blinked, allowing the tears to fall down his face.

“Why are you crying?” Drea asked worriedly. “There's so much toys, I'm sure you'll find one that you like...”

Merlin smiled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Of course, how silly of me” he lowered her down. “Now you go over there join your friends for the picture!”

“Come here, you too!” one of the orphanage volunteers called and Merlin ran to the other kids and staff huddled together around Arthur and Percy, smiling for the camera.

.M.

Arthur asked Merlin to get to his place as early as possible to help out with the arrangements, but Merlin found Leon, Gwen and Lance already there when he arrived.

“Wow! Okay, maybe working for that wanker has it's advantages, after all” Will acknowledged, looking around and ignoring Merlin's reproaching look. When Will spotted the boxes of drinks that were being stacked at the kitchen – which'd been temporarily turned into a bar –, his eyes shone even brighter. “Hey, Merlin. When you said that I'd regret coming, you weren't being serious, were you?”

Merlin simply tapped him in the back. “Your time'll come, Will. Mark my words.”

Merlin left Will trying to convince the guy behind the counter to give him a drink and joined his friends, managing to avoid bumping into a waitress on his way to the middle of the living room. “Phew! I thought I'd have to serve people drinks, but looks like you have it covered” he said to Arthur, who raised an eyebrow after staring at him from head to toe.

“And who says you're not going to serve _me_ , _Mer_ liln?” Arthur said with a crooked grin on his face that gave Merlin butterflies. “Where's that useless piece of a best friend of yours?”

“He's trying to make a pass at the barman” Merlin said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I thought he was straight!” Arthur sounded suddenly very disturbed. His blond hair was slightly messy, but in an intentional way. He was wearing dark jeans and a black shirt with the top buttons opened. The shirt's sleeves ended right below his elbows and highlighted his forearm muscles as he folded them over his chest to gaze at Will, who was hunched over the counter, trying to glib talk the guy in an apron.

“Oh, he's straight alright” Merlin assured. “But when it comes to free alcohol he's a slut.”

Arthur looked relieved, unfolding his arms and placing one hand on Merlin's upper arm. “Alright, now help me push this sofa closer to the TV.”

Merlin helped Arthur and Leon to rearrange the living room while Gwen instructed the waiters and Lance helped the barman with the boxes. When Arthur moved away to let the DJ in and help him get settled, Will had already gotten a drink on hand and was drooling over Arthur's games collection.

“You didn't tell me he was a fucking games geek or something” Will made a point of sounding betrayed.

“Well, I tried to, but did you listen to me? Of course not. After all, what would I know about videogames, right?”

“It doesn't mean anything” Will shrugged. “I bet he doesn't bother to play half of these games. I bet I can beat him in less than ten minutes.”

“Keep telling yourself that” Merlin tapped him on the shoulders. “And don't touch or move anything out of place. You don't know half the trouble I had organizing it.”

“Wait” Will gaped at him. “You mean you sorted out his games? Merlin, what else are you keeping from me?”

Merlin spread his hands out ready to defend himself when he heard Arthur's voice. “Merlin!”

“Gotta go!” Merlin said, thankfully taking his chance to escape from answering to that question and running away before Will could say anything.

Merlin helped Arthur carrying a few decoration pieces to his office, where they'd be safe from clumsy drunks, then assisted Leon with setting up a few tables in the open space behind the sofa, where Gwen was arranging some appetizers.

“When you said you'd throw a party I thought it'd be something simpler” Merlin commented, closing in on Arthur, who was examining the outcome of their work. The DJ had finished setting up a disco ball and someone had turned the lights off. The beat of the electronic music forced them to get closer to talk, even though it wasn't too loud.

“And who says it isn't a simple party?” Arthur stared at him with his eyebrows drawn close. “Are you disappointed you have nothing to do? I can dismiss one of the waiters, if you'd like.”

“No, no, no, it's nothing like that!” Merlin said quickly. “It's just I'm not used to this kind of stuff.”

Arthur looked around them. “The barman and the DJ are Gwaine's acquaintances” he clarified. “The buffet is one of our clients. They always offer interesting deals to the company's functions.”

“Oh” Merlin said. “And doesn't your neighbors complain about the noise?”

“The place has great acoustics, it doesn't bother that much. The building's rules allow gatherings until eleven o'clock, but we've exceeded that time before without getting into trouble for it. And it's just one apartment every two floors, anyway.”

A waitress passed by them carrying some bottles of beer and Arthur took a couple, offering one for Merlin.

“You often have parties here, then?” Merlin asked, curious.

“I used to. It's been some time since I hosted” Arthur admitted, gulping at his beer and Merlin couldn't take his eyes off his throat as he swallowed.

“How many people did you invite?” Merlin went on quickly when Arthur caught his gaze.

“Oh, just the usual people, you know” Arthur shrugged. “The guys from the pub, a bunch of people I've worked with before... Of course it always ends up showing more people, but it's not like we aren't prepared for that” he gestured for the drink boxes stacked behind the counter and the canapes' trays lined up on the kitchen sink.

“Yeah, I think we can survive a few weeks in here, in case the apocalypse happens outside” Merlin endorsed.

Arthur turned to face Merlin, frowning. “Don't think for one second that I won't keep an eye on you, Merlin. If I so much as suspect you drank too much, I'll throw you in the shower, clothes and everything” Arthur assessed Merlin's turquoise shirt, now reflecting the colors of the disco ball. “On second thought, maybe I'll take your clothes off first.”

Merlin's eyes got round, his mouth opening in shock as his body reacted immediately, but Arthur's attention was already elsewhere, with the intercom buzzing again and Leon running to answer it.

“And let you friend know” Arthur continued, pointing at Will's direction, who was already on his third cocktail – Merlin had a feeling that he wouldn't rest until he'd tasted all the options on the menu. “That if he throws up on my bathroom floor, he'll have to lick it clean.”

“There's our champion!” Gwaine cried, joining them with his swinging hips, as if he'd started to drink on his way to the party. He threw one arm around Arthur's shoulder and the other around Merlin's. “Don't forget I'm betting on you, huh, Princess? How about we set down a reward for the winner to make things more interesting?” he offered, sending a malicious look towards Merlin, to what Arthur reacted by disentangling himself from his hold. “By the way, where's the other competitor?”

“If it takes a little longer, he'll probably fall into an alcoholic coma before I can beat him” Arthur grumbled and then looked to Gwaine's side, only then realizing his proximity to Merlin. He shoved Gwaine away. “Come on, let's get it started yet, shall we?”

“Percy didn't make it yet” Gwaine said, taking a look around. “Neither did Mordred and Kara, though they told me they'd be late. But I guess I'd better watch out for Will until they arrive” he sighed, walking away.

“You should greet your guests” Merlin said when Arthur moved closer to him once again, their arms touching lightly.

“And you should mind your own business” Arthur said back, even though there wasn't any hostility in his tone. He sighed and took one step ahead, turning to face Merlin. “Don't you forget. I'm watching you.”

  
It wasn't like Merlin _could_ have forgotten it as the party went on. Not when Arthur never got distracted for too long to lose sight of him. After wandering around the place for a bit, Merlin joined Gwen and Morgana.

He was met with Morgana's crooked grin. “Merlin, I didn't recognize you!” she said, raising one hand to his hair. “Is this gel or hairspray?”

“Hairspray” Merlin admitted, shoving his hand in his jeans pockets.

“You look great! Oh, I wish I could rejuvenate like that with something as simple as a fashionable hairstyle...”

“Morgana, you haven't aged a day in the last ten years!” Gwen rolled her eyes, turning to Merlin. “You tell her, Merlin. She's in a very premature midlife crisis.”

“Gwen's right, you know?” Merlin said to Morgana. “You look gorgeous. My eighteen year old friend is crazy about you. In fact, I think you'd better keep some distance from him, 'cause when I say 'crazy' I mean literally.”

“Oh, you're cute, aren't you?” Morgana smiles, petting his face. And then she got all businesslike. “Now show me this friend of yours 'cause I'm not in a good mood today.”

Merlin pointed Will out in the crowd. He was chatting with the Marketing girls he had met at the pub, keeping his eyes level with the tallest's cleavage. God, he was so embarrassing! At least Gwaine had managed to take the cocktail out of his hand and Merlin felt relieved that Will was focused on the younger girls, because Morgause Gorlois was looking at him like he was an insect about to get crushed.

“Merlin!” came Arthur's call and Merlin rushed to him after excusing himself with the ladies. “Fetch me some whiskey, will you?” he said, turning his attention back to an unknown man.

Merlin rolled his eyes, but complied, dumping his empty bottle of beer and helping himself to a few canapes on his way to the bar. He didn't have the refined palate required to truly appreciate such fancy appetizer, but he knew Arthur wouldn't get out of his hair if he didn't eat anything.

When Merlin got back with the whiskey, Arthur introduced him to the man he was talking to. Alator Zinke was the manager of Development Division, who was in change of the team responsible for the print shop's proposal, which Merlin had gone over the day before, with Arthur. Zinke was pretty interested in what Merlin had to say about the shop's cost system. Arthur followed the conversation closely, although he didn't seem to be entirely focused on it, greeting one person or other in the meantime.

As Zinke stepped away to get another drink, Arthur dragged Merlin to another unknown guest, Annis Ullman, the manager responsible for coordinating the diagnosis of the print shop. It was like Arthur was an eight year old boy parading around, showing off his newest toy. When she also walked away, after a bit, it was Merlin's turn to drag Arthur to a corner, away from the speakers and closer to the stairs, where they could talk more freely.

“What are you doing?” Merlin asked, intrigued.

“I'm acting as your go-between, of course” Arthur clarified easily, helping himself to a canape when a waitress passed by. “You do intent to try and get an opening in the firm by the end of your contract, don't you?”

Merlin blinked, surprised, observing while Arthur lazily chewed the appetizer. “Of course I do!” he said, as soon as he recovered from the shock.

“So. You have to start showing your skills to the right people” Arthur shrugged. “Come on, I'll introduce you to-”

“Hey, Arthur, wait” Merlin said, holding his arm until he turned back to face him again, looking curious. “Um. It's just that I realized I didn't say happy birthday to you yet.”

Arthur's eyebrows rose up in surprise before he frowned again. “Actually, you did. You wrote it in Gwaine's notebook.”

“Oh. Right” Merlin marveled about the fact that Arthur had bothered to read that. “Well. I also wanted to tell that what you did today was amazing. With the institutions.”

“I didn't do that by myself, you know?” Arthur stepped from one foot to the other, a half smile on his face.

“I know, but the way you arranged all that-”

“You organized it, Merlin.”

“Oi, will you shut up and take my compliment for a change?” Merlin lost his patience. “You now it's not often that I do it.”

Arthur threw his head back as he laughed. “You're right, Merlin” he said, his eyes shining with amusement. “Thank you.”

Merlin nodded, averting his eyes from Arthur's. He slipped his hands in his pockets and bit his lower lip, unsure of what to say next. When he looked up again, Arthur was staring at him with serious, downcast eyes, as if he was looking at his mouth and Merlin felt like he was being pulled forward. He was about to throw himself at him when Gwaine showed up at their side, clearing his throat.

“I hate to interrupt a moment so intimate such as this, but our guests of honor had arrived and I admit I'm having some difficulty with keeping Will out of trouble. I don't believe I can defend him of Morgause's accusation of misogyny when he keeps making unfortunate comments about why action games with female characters are the best. When he started talking about Lara Croft' voluptuous bosom I promise I wished I had a camera to record her reaction. Honestly, he somehow manages to be worse than me!” Gwaine laughed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“God help us” Arthur said and sighed. “Alright. Let's make this quick.”

Gwaine didn't waste any time, inviting everyone to gather near the sofa, where the players got settled. Arthur's apartment was quite packed, but not all of the guests were interested in watching the match, preferring to get together near the tables behind the sofa and move their bodies to the music while they talked. Merlin joined his friends to watch the competition, even thought he wasn't a big fan of the game. Before they started to play, Arthur signaled for Merlin to come closer, tapping the cushion right beside him for Merlin to seat. Merlin thought he saw Gwen frowning at witnessing the gesture, but pretended not to notice.

Some time later, Will's cheering section was slightly desperate and Arthur's was more and more noisy. Merlin had made several trips to the bar to fetch drinks and canapes for Arthur.

“One more whiskey, please” Merlin asked the barman, who nodded.

“This man of yours is very resilient!” marveled the boy as he placed the glass on the counter and served another dose.

“What-?” Merlin was about to ask when he realized what the guy had said. “Oh, no! No, no, no, Arthur isn't my man” he laughed, feeling his face heating up. “He's my boss.”

“Sure” the boy said, even though skeptically so, and offered Merlin the glass. “What about you? Aren't you gonna drink something?”

Merlin opened his mouth to refuse, but shut it back close, thinking better of it. “I'll be back in sec” he stated and took a plateful of canapes to leave in front of Arthur, when he realized that his place had been taken by an unknown woman.

Arthur, as it happened, didn't seem to notice him, so absorbed he was by the game, even though he had pretty much won the match, already. Careful not to disrupt his focus, Merlin headed back to the counter without another word.

“Hey” the barman grinned. Merlin guessed he was about twenty years old. He had his nose pierced and several tattoos on his forearms. His smile, Merlin noticed, was quite pretty. “So, what can I get you?”

“Oh... I'm not sure?” Merlin scratched his nape. “I'm not used to drinking, really.”

The boy examined him for a moment before slamming his fist at the counter like a judge giving his verdict. “I bet you'd like a shot of tequila” he took a salt shaker and a lemon chunk, putting it in from of Merlin before pouring a shot of an amber liquid.

“Er... How should I...?” Merlin asked shyly.

The barman smiled and grabbed the shaker. “Put some of the salt on your hand” he demonstrated when Merlin held his hand out, turning his palm down and throwing a bit on the back of his hand. “Now you lick the salt, swallow the shot in one go and then suck the lemon. It's easy like a blowjob.” he finished, wickedly.

“O _kay_ ” flushing, Merlin took a deep breath before following the instructions, making a face at each step and struggling not to choke on it as he swallowed the drink. His eyes watered, but he managed to swallow it down and the lemon really helped to ease the taste, oddly enough.

“So?” the guy asked and Merlin blinked a couple times, staring back at him.

“It wasn't that bad” Merlin acknowledged, proud of himself. He grinned before the amusement on the barman's face and held his hand out. “I'm Merlin, by the way.”

“Morris” the boy shook his hand. “Another shot?”

Merlin shrugged, listening to the clatter that meant someone had scored, but didn't really care whom. “Why not?”

.M.

Arthur could pinpoint the exact moment he lost his interest in the game, for it matched the moment he lost sight of Merlin. Merlin had left a dose of whiskey and some appetizers on the central table and had left without bothering to say a word to him, never coming back again. Arthur couldn't wait for that bloody match to end. His distraction was making him sloppy and he'd almost let Will score, just seconds ago.

He pictured it'd be pleasing to beat Will in front of Merlin, but Will wasn't as good an opponent as he pledged to be and Merlin didn't seem particularly bothered with the outcome of the game. As soon as the time was up, Arthur threw the controller away and got to his feet, deflecting his friends congratulations and searching around for Merlin.

“Best of three?” Will stood in front of him, pouting.

“Not interested” Arthur dismissed, trying to move over him to find Merlin – he thought he'd sighted something turquoise, but it was hard to tell with all those colorful lights.

“Who's chickening out now?” Will teased, causing some people to “ohh” and “ahh”.

Arthur regarded him from head to toe, curling his upper lip scornfully. “I'm not the loser here, if you haven't noticed yet. You can play with someone else, if you really want to mend your wounded pride, I don't give a shit” he swerved him and headed for the kitchen, coming to a halt when he spotted Merlin.

The boy was leaning over the balcony, his body tilting forward as he laughed at something the barman had just said to him. His face was contorted in mirth and that made Arthur snarl, angry that it wasn't him making Merlin laugh like that. Merlin was so raptured he didn't even noticed when Arthur closed in on him, throwing a murderous look at the barman before pulling at Merlin until he straightened himself up in the stool. “What's happening here, Merlin?”

There were several lemon chunks piled up next to an empty glass and Arthur could smell the tequila as he leaned closer to his face.

“Arthur!” Merlin cried out, wiping the tears of joy off his eyes. “You gotta listen to this one. Morris here's a joke telling genius, he-” he got serious all of a sudden. “Oh, you don't look like someone wanting to hear a joke now.”

“It's a good thing your observational skills are as sharp as ever, Merlin. How many shots did you have?”

“Um” Merlin met the barman's eyes, then looked down to the lemon chunks. “I... wasn't really counting?”

“Great” Arthur said through his gritted teeth, pulling him to his feet. Arthur threw one last fulminant look at the barman, promising himself he'd take care of the guy later. “Let's go upstairs” he begun to guide Merlin to the staircase and, when the boy started to protest, he brought his mouth near Merlin's ear to say, in an commanding tone: “ _Now_ , Merlin.”

Merlin nodded and allowed to be driven up the stairs. When Arthur stopped in front of his own room to reach for the key in his pocket – he had learned the hardest way to keep his bedrooms locked up whilst hosting a party –, Merlin turned to face him, looking a bit more sober.

“Are you gonna throw me in the shower now?” Merlin asked, his blue eyes round and Arthur couldn't tell if the feeling showing in them was worry or eagerness.

  
Cursing under his breath, Arthur shoved the key hard into the lock, opening the door and pulling Merlin inside. As soon as the door closed behind them, sealing most of the noise outside, Arthur pushed Merlin against it, holding him by the shoulders, his whole body aching for contact, but fully aware that he should _not_ come any closer. Merlin wasn't used to drinking and, as sober as he seemed to be at the moment, he was too vulnerable and so, so deliciously tempting.

“You know what I should do to you?” Arthur whispered into his mouth, their heavy breaths meeting as Arthur watched every detail of the boy's face, inhaling his sweet, alluring scent, mixed with the alcohol that emanated from his breath. “I should toss you on that bed and... and...”

“And?” Merlin encouraged, his eyes fixated on Arthur's lips.

And that sole teasing was the last straw for Arthur, who lashed out at him, attaching their lips desperately together whist pressing his whole body to Merlin's. Merlin let out a moan that could be from approval as well as pain, caused by the strength with which Arthur had shoved him against the door, but the sound was quickly muffled by Arthur's ravenous mouth.

  
Arthur kissed him voraciously, finally tasting his soft, delicious lips between his own. Merlin tasted of salt, lemon and pure and utter bliss. Their mouths molded against each other and Arthur's pulse sped up even more in delight – and a pressing urge – as Merlin _kissed him back_ . Merlin's hands found their way up, holding the back of Arthur's head, pulling him even closer and it was Arthur's turn to grunt, shoving one of his legs in between Merlin's, pressing himself further to him, seeking some blessed _friction_ .

Merlin was as aroused as Arthur. He moaned again – the sound traveling down Arthur's veins towards his penis, filling it further – and tilted his head to the side, fitting their mouths together, responsive to Arthur's assault, his tongue meeting Arthur's half the way and caressing it back eagerly.

  
Deep down, Arthur knew Merlin was only matching to his advances because of the alcohol and that Arthur probably shouldn't take advantage of that, but he couldn't help carrying on. Now that he'd got the chance of kissing him and touching him, he'd do it even if it was the last thing he did. Merlin seemed to be completely surrendered, responding to each and every one of Arthur's stimulations, his body moving restlessly, seeking more of his touch as Arthur slid his hands down Merlin's neck, shoulders, sides... When Arthur reached the end of Merlin's spine, sneeking his hand under his shirt – his skin was _so hot_ –, Merlin shoved his hips against Arthur's, grinding against his leg, breaking the kiss to breathe in short pants, his hands desperately clinging to Arthur's back.

“God, Merlin, you're making me _crazy_ ” Arthur confessed, his voice raw with desire. He wanted – needed – to devour him whole, savoring every tiny patch of skin, enjoying every little maddening sound that escaped from his throat, deep and vibrating. He wanted to save his smell to his mind and print the touch of his skin into his senses.

“Arthur” Merlin panted – so, so sexy – when Arthur took the chance to suck at the junction of his jawbone with his neck, offering more access to his skin, his hands grabbing and pulling blindly, his breathing more and more shallow. Arthur responded to his plea with more licks and sucks whist exploring his body as far as he could reach, squeezing his thighs and buttocks. Merlin rubbed himself on Arthur's thigh and cried out, digging his fingers in Arthur's back like claws, holding his breath, and Arthur froze for a moment with him.

When Merlin started to breathe again, relaxing slowly in his arms, Arthur leaned back to look at his face. Merlin had his eyes closed, his head tipped back against the door, his lips parted seeking for air, his arms heavy on Arthur's shoulders. “Merlin, did you just...?” Arthur asked, refusing to believe what he had just witnessed.

Merlin flinched then, turning his face away, his cheekbones flushing so quickly Arthur could almost feel the heat coming from them.

“Christ, _Mer_ lin!” Arthur said, unbelieving and bewitched at the same time – the frustration would probably come later, but now all that he could think about was that he'd just made Merlin come nearly untouched.

“I'm sorry” Merlin mumbled, timidly.

“Hey, you have nothing to apologize for” Arthur mumbled back, caressing his cheek with the back of his hand. “I-”

“Oh, God!” Merlin withdrew his arms and attempted to push Arthur away, but Arthur held his wrists firmly, burying his face in the crook of his neck and trying to regain control over his own body. “Oh, _God_ , I feel so stupid now” Merlin grumbled and Arthur leaned back again to look him in the eyes.

“It wasn't stupid, Merlin-” Arthur began to defend him, but Merlin cut him off, pushing him again.

“Arthur” Merlin tried to free himself from his hold, but Arthur held him tighter. “Arthur. I think I'm gonna be sick. I'm serious!”

Arthur released him, though reluctantly so. When Merlin moved to open the door to flee, however, Arthur grabbed his arms again, ignoring his objections and pulling him towards the bed.

“Arthur, let me go!”

“ _Mer_ lin! Sit down” Arthur pushed a pouting Merlin until he sat on the edge of the bed, folding his arms sulkily. “Don’t move” he commanded and took a glass from the bedside table. Arthur went to the bathroom sink to fill it, taking the opportunity to take a deep breath and try to will his body to relax, the annoyance finally kicking in. When he got back to the room, Merlin was bended forward, supporting his elbows on his knees and hiding his face with his hands. “Drink this.”

“I’m gonna be sick” Merlin refused.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “If you throw up, you can take another glass later.”

Merlin sighed and straightened up, accepting the water, but pointedly avoiding his eyes.

“Have you had anything to eat?” Arthur asked, crossing his arms as Merlin shrugged in response. “ _Mer_ lin!”

“You call those things food?” Merlin disdained. “Yes, I’ve had _something_ to eat.”

Arthur huffed. “Okay, fine, I’ll get you something.”

“I can’t eat anything, Arthur” Merlin said stubbornly, but Arthur ignored it, moving towards the door.

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t move” he instructed and watched when Merlin puffed, collapsing on the mattress, before closing the door behind him.

“Hey, there you are!” he heard Gwaine’s voice, who’d been snogging someone across the corridor, though it was too dark to identify who it was - and Arthur couldn’t care less at the moment.

“Not now, Gwaine.”

  
Arthur was about to get past him to the stairs when Gwaine held him by the shoulders, supporting part of his weight on Arthur to steady himself a bit. When he spoke, his breath caused Arthur’s eyes to sting. “Alright, I won’t bother you or ask you what you were doing with Merlin inside there, _but_ ” Gwaine paused so that Arthur could properly assimilate that he knew more than he should. “Would you be _so kind_ as to borrow me the key to your guest bedroom?”

“Don’t even start, Gwaine. Your place isn’t that far. I’m sure your date won’t mind-” Arthur stopped himself short at hearing someone clearing their throat. A man, as it seemed. And then he narrowed his eyes to the figure of the person at the other end of the hall - a very large figure, by the way. “Percy? Is that you?”

Percy simply shrugged, dismissing his gape. Arthur turned back to Gwaine, who was ginning smugly.

“So. About that key?”

Arthur sighed and fished the key out of his pocked before he could stop himself.

“Cheers, Princess” Gwaine rotated the key on his finger, nearly dropping it. “Ops! Hey, is everything okay with Merlin?”

Arthur snorted. “Not thanks to your friend, the barman. He gave Merlin nearly a whole bottle of tequila!”

“Morris? That son of a bitch” Gwaine shook his head. “Feel free to kick his ass out, if you’d like. Now, if you’ll excuse me” he let go of Arthur and staggered back to the opposite side of the corridor.

Arthur didn’t stay to watch his friends making out.

“You” he pointed an accusing finger to the barman as he reached the kitchen. “Out!”

“But-” the boy nearly popped his eyes out. “I’m supposed to stay until-“

“Out! _Now_!” Arthur said again.

The boy flinched, backing off to the other side of the kitchen, even though there was a counter between them. “Merlin isn’t underage, is he?” he asked, terrified by the possibility.

“Now you’re asking me this?” Arthur snarled.

“Hey… Easy, man… We don’t want you to have a heart attack or something…”

Arthur’s chin fell out of outrage. “Get out of my face before a kick you out! Come on! Fuck off!” he shouted as soon as he found his voice back.

“What’s going on here?” Morgana approached him with her eyebrows up, while the barman took his chance to run off without looking back. “Arthur? What happened?”

“Nothing” Arthur ignored Morgana's skeptic look and got around the counter to take the peanut butter from the fridge. Then he set to look for the bread, but it was nearly impossible to find something in that darkness, amidst the several empty bottles. “Fuck!”

“Arthur-” Morgana stated again, but Arthur cut her off.

“If you want to be of some assistance, stop nagging and help me find the damn bread.”

Morgana joined him on his search, using her phone's lantern to locate the bread. While she buttered a couple of slices, Arthur took another glass of water and a plate. He thanked his sister and left her without another word, taking the improvised sandwich with him. When he got to his bedroom, Merlin was lying down in the same position Arthur left him, with his lower body nearly falling off the bed.

“Sit up, Merlin” Arthur said, placing the glass by the bed.

Merlin simply grunted something unintelligible and Arthur sat besides him, handling him until he was leaning his shoulder against Arthur's chest.

“This is so...” Merlin began, but never finished.

“Eat” Arthur commanded and Merlin took a slice of bread, but merely stared at it with a black face. “And drink more water” he insisted, reaching for the glass and shoving it between the boy's lips. Merlin gulped it instinctively.

“It happened so fast” Merlin said, then, slurring the words. “I promise I can do better than that. It's just that... it was _so_ sexy...”

“Yeah” Arthur fought to keep himself focused on feeding and hydrating Merlin, not on imagining taking his clothes off and fuck him right then and there, by the edge of the bed. “No one should be allowed to look so sexy coming in their pants, Merlin” he mumbled more to himself than to him. “Least of all _you_.”

“Yeah, right?” Merlin nodded to the still whole slice of bread, seemingly incapable of realizing the irony of Arthur's last words.

Arthur sighed. He had so much he'd like to say to Merlin, but he'd have to wait until the morning. The boy was in no condition to talk at the moment. Arthur took the bread out of Merlin's hand before he could smear peanut butter all over his face and left the plate on the bedside table.

When he turned back to Merlin, he realized that the boy was already dozing off. Arthur lowered him on the bed and stared at him with conflicting emotions. Merlin looked so peaceful – his relaxed face tilted to the side, his mouth slightly ajar, his arms slouched beside his body, a dark humid spot near the waistband of his jeans – that Arthur felt an overwhelming wave of affection towards him, an uncontrollable need to protect him. He remembered the fire that kiss had lighted inside him just moments ago and wondered how that was even possible.

And then he felt apprehensive when thinking of how it’d be in the morning, when Merlin woke up and remembered what had happened. He’d been so embarrassed just minutes ago… Or could it’ve been regret that made him try to run off? Was it possible that he thought Arthur had taken advantage of him? God, Arthur was blaming himself enough even without Merlin’s accusation on top of it.

Arthur took a deep breath and told himself to stop dwelling in that, for now. He had a party to attend. Besides, what was done couldn’t be undone. He couldn’t go back and, even if he could, he suspected he’d do it all over again.

Careful not to wake him up, Arthur took Merlin’s boots off and lifted his legs to the bed, spinning him slowly. Merlin grumbled something and adjusted himself in bed, turning with his face to the other side. Arthur slipped his fingers through his hair smoothly before turning off the bedroom light and leaving.

.Merlin.

Merlin woke up with his own pained grunt. He kept still for a moment until the throbbing headache subsided a bit, trying to open his eyes without feeling like they were being ripped out of its orbs and contemplating his options: handle the headache and empty his bladder or risk an urinal infection and stay in that bed for the rest of his life.

  
It took him great effort to sit on the mattress, holding his throbbing head as if to steady it. When he looked to the bedside table and sighted the food, his stomach churned and he had to scurry to the bathroom. Throwing up with an empty stomach, a full bladder and hangover, he soon found out, was extremely painful. He felt like he’d run a marathon when his stomach stopped contracting and he finally got to piss. He let himself slide down the cold tiled wall, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and tried not to _think_ .

Merlin was feeling gross, his mouth tasting like bile and his pants sticking uncomfortably. He sighed, looking around. Arthur’s bathroom was almost as big as his bedroom, with a mirror which took nearly the full extension of the sink wall, a spa tub and a shower stall larger than Merlin’s entire bathroom.

Merlin turned his head to peek at the empty bedroom, outside. The bed was still made, the cover wrinkled only at the side Merlin had slept. By the clarity getting through the drapes, it was probably mid-morning.

“Oh, crap, crap, crap” Merlin cursed, searching his pockets for his phone - his thigh was sore from sleeping on top of the device - and checked the screen. It was twenty past eight and there were no missed calls, what probably meant Will had called his mother the night before to tell her he’d stay out for the night. Merlin breathed out, relieved, leaning his head against the wall. One less thing to worry about.

  
Merlin could hear the sound of furniture dragging and people chatting downstairs. He should probably get down to help with the tidying up, but he wasn’t particularly looking forward to facing Arthur. Actually, he’d rather never have to look him in the eye or talk to him _ever_ again.

God, he was so embarrassed… As he recalled the previous night’s events, Merlin wished he could dig a hole in the ground and hide inside it forever. If he had any chance of making Arthur see him as an adult before, he'd just ruined it.

  
Not that it was very likely before, anyway. Arthur probably had just been driven by the moment - as well as the alcohol - when he had kissed Merlin. Or worse even, he could’ve done that out of pity and maybe - _just maybe_ \- Merlin had provoked him on purpose just to see what he’d do. But even the arousal caused by the memory of Arthur pressing him against the door, of his hands exploring Merlin's body and their tongues tangling couldn’t overcome the humiliation of what happened _next_ .

Arthur was a twenty nine year old, experienced, attractive man and he’d had at least two serious relationships before - unlike Merlin, who’d never had a relationship, however shallow it could’ve been. Besides, Arthur could have whoever he wanted with so much as a snap of his fingers. What could he possibly want with a pathetic and inexperienced brat like Merlin, who couldn’t hold his liquor, ejaculated in his pants with a simple snog, didn’t bother to reciprocate and, on top of it all, passed out on his bed?

If only he wasn’t scared of highs, he could consider climbing down the bathroom window to escape facing Arthur, but he was useless at that too.

“I’m so pathetic” Merlin told himself.

And stupid. Why did he have to seduce his supervisor, of all people? Honestly, he deserved the humiliation of being forced to talk to Arthur, not just this morning, but every weekday for the remaining six months of his contract - considering that he hadn't fucked it all up, in which case he'd end up being kicked out of Pendragon Consulting.

Damn it, Arthur could very well not want to look at his face ever again. He most likely was regretting the very day he had accepted being his supervisor. What'd the other employees think of that if they heard of it? Most people from Pendragon already thought Arthur was a nepotistic and oppressor despot! This would ruin his reputation to no chance of salvation.

Sighing, Merlin stood up carefully not to explode his own head. He closed the bathroom door intending to just take off his messy underwear and put his jeans back on, but he thought better of it and undressed, getting in the shower. He felt like he was in heaven, letting the hot pressurized water ease the tension of his muscles while he built up the courage to face his destiny.

He got into the same clothes minus the dirty briefs, which he secured in his jeans pocket - he’d have to wash them before putting them in the laundry basket, back at home, if he wanted to avoid killing his mother out of disgust. When he left the bedroom, he noticed the painkillers on the nightstand. His stomach had calmed down enough for Merlin to eat a bite of buttered bread to push the pill down, but he ended up eating both slices and gulping the water whist putting his boots on. Then he straightened the bedcover as best as he could.

When there was nothing left to do to kill some time, Merlin took a deep breath and opened the door to the corridor, listening to the TV and what sounded like a vacuum cleaner. There was a woman in cleaning uniform inside the guest room, vacuuming the rug, when Merlin passed by it to get to the staircase.

Downstairs, Merlin spotted Gwaine first, spread across the sofa, eating some snacks and watching a show about surviving in extreme conditions. He noticed Arthur next, standing by the door with his back to Merlin, arguing with someone outside while another person finished collecting the boxes of empty bottles.

“Good morning, Sleepy Beauty” Gwaine mumbled, his voice as slurred and melodic as ever. “I thought I’d have to kiss you awake if we wanted you out of bed today.”

“What’re you doing here?” Merlin asked after walking past Arthur quietly, unwilling to call his attention. He joined Gwaine on the sofa, pushing his feet away to clear some space.

“I slept here, same as you. And Percy” Gwaine raised his feet again, propping them on Merlin’s lap. “Cereal?” he offered the box he was holding and, when Merlin rejected it, he ate it directly from the box as if it were chips.

“Where’s Percy?” Merlin asked, looking around, but there was no one else in the still quite messy place.

“He had to leave” Gwaine shrugged. “I volunteered to stay behind and help the Princess.”

“Some help you’re doing” Merlin said ironically. He considered pushing Gwaine’s feet away again, but decided to use it to support his arms.

“Arthur seems to have everything under control” Gwaine said, unconcerned, just when Arthur was raising his tone of voice to his interlocutor. Merlin peeked at the door’s direction, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying above the TV noise. “Don’t worry. He’s just hungover. And maybe the night on the couch didn’t help improving his mood either.”

“On the couch?” Merlin asked, turning his neck so quickly it made his head throb painfully. “Why didn’t he sleep in the guest room?”

“’Cause it was otherwise occupied” Gwaine smirked smugly, throwing a handful of cereal in his mouth. “Quite busy, if you really want to know.”

“And Percy…?” Merlin asked, since there wasn’t a spare sofa big enough to accommodate Percy.

Gwaine's smile became wider and Merlin's chin fell. He looked away from Gwaine for a moment, trying to process all that. Percy was always looking out for Gwaine, taking care of him, stopping him from making a fool of himself, but Merlin never suspected there to be more behind all that caring besides camaraderie.

“Can you turn the TV down, please?” Merlin asked when a commercial particularly loud nearly blew out his eardrums.

Gwaine reached for the remote and Merlin sighed when he got to hear his own thoughts again.

“I heard that you got hammered yesterday” Gwaine said, apparently enjoying Merlin's pain. “I haven't found out what Arthur did to Morris yet, but it can't have been pretty, judging by Arthur's face last night and by the texts Morris sent me this morning asking if he'll be getting paid for his work or if he should be prepared to face a lawsuit.”

“Law suit?” Merlin raised his eyebrows.

“Don't ask me.”

Merlin fidgeted, worried. After all, it wasn't like Morris had forced Merlin to drink anything. And it wasn't the boy's fault that Merlin had used him to provoke Arthur.

“What happened yesterday, anyway?” Gwaine asked, feigning innocence. He stuffed his mouth again and this time Merlin could hear his crunching.

“It's none of your business.”

“Yeah, I assumed it wasn't that interesting” Gwaine disdained, still smirking. “Otherwise Arthur wouldn't be this grumpy.”

“Why the fuck aren't you hangover?” Merlin snapped, incapable of keeping his own jealousy from showing in his voice.

“Who says I'm not?” Gwaine shrugged. “I'm just used to it.”

The next moment, they heard the front door closing and Arthur entered the room just when Gwaine was taking his feet off Merlin's lap. “Gwaine, didn't you say you'd-” Arthur stopped talking when his eyes met Merlin's, his brow furrowing even further at noticing his wet hair. “How long are you awake?”

“Um... It's been just a few minutes since I came down” Merlin rose to his feet, slipping his hands in his pockets and trying not to blush. “You... Do you want some help?” he pointed to the mess in the kitchen.

“No need to. Johanna'll take care of it” Arthur assured him, his features softening only a fraction. “Can I get you something to eat?”

“I've already had something” Merlin said and Gwaine snorted. Merlin turned to face him. “I ate in the bedroom, if you must know.”

“Hey, why didn't I get breakfast in bed?” Gwaine sounded indignant, but Merlin and Arthur ignored him.

Even though they kept their distance from each other, Merlin could almost feel the tension between them. He couldn't hold eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time.

“I called your mom yesterday” Arthur said, taking one step forward.

Merlin opened his mouth to inquire how he'd got his house number but, other than being one of the information on his contract, Merlin remembered calling home from Arthur's phone once. He could very well have saved the number.

“And what about Will?” Merlin asked instead.

“I told him too. He left with Morgause.”

“Morgause?” Merlin marveled. “Really?”

“She was just giving the Marketing girls a lift and Will happened to be amongst them” Arthur clarified.

But that wasn't surprising. He couldn't picture Will scoring with those girls, but he supposed there were different strokes for different folks. Merlin couldn't judge anyone, anyway, after last night's disaster.

“Hey, hold on a sec” Gwaine said, standing up and moving closer to Merlin, who instinctively took a step away from him. “This definitely wasn't here last night” he pointed to Merlin's neck.

Merlin remembered Arthur's mouth on that same spot and swallowed dryly, raising his hand to cover it.

Gwaine cried out in a mixture of astonishment and triumph. “I can't believe it! Percy owes me ten bucks!” he took his phone out of his pocket, but Merlin wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His eyes were fixed on Arthur, who stared at Merlin's hickey with utter shock and... was it concern or regret?

“You know what? I gotta go” Merlin almost ran off to the door, dodging Arthur's reaching arm as he got past him, but Arthur caught up with him before he got to the door, grabbing his arm with an iron grip.

“Merlin, wait-”

“Arthur, please-” Merlin begged, trying to free himself.

“Merlin, we need to talk.”

“Not here!” Merlin said, looking at Gwaine, who was laughing and shaking his head while texting.

“Come outside, then” Arthur pulled him to the door and they left to the deserted lobby, closing the door behind them. “Here we are.”

“Fuck” Merlin broke free from Arthur's hold and covered his face with his hands, rubbing at his eyes and cursing under his breath.

“Merlin, listen-” Arthur restarted, sounding somewhat uncertain, but Merlin cut him off, resisting the childish impulse to cover his ears.

“No, Arthur. You listen up. It's all right. You don't have to worry about it, no one needs to know” he assured. “I mean, we were both drunk and- Alright, maybe I was way worse than you, but it's _not_ possible that you were unaffected after all that whiskey and... and... You're my supervisor... and my boss! My God, I don't even know if I'm still your intern after all this. I mean, I won't blame you if you decide to send me to another division or- And about Gwaine, he should've alredy told Percy by now, but- God, who am I trying to fool? Gwaine'll tell _everybody_ and it'll get to Morgana's ears and then-”

“Merlin, for fuck's sake, shut the hell up!” Arthur said, looking thoroughly disturbed.

“Okay, sorry” Merlin said, pursing his lips together and looking down to the floor, embarrassed. If he wanted to be treated like an adult, he should start to behave like one, he reminded himself.

“What's all this stuff about changing divisions?” Arthur sounded outraged. “What on earth are you talking about? No one's sending you anywhere.”

“It's just that...” Merlin puffed loudly. “Okay, fine. You're right, it's nonsense. I think we can work this out” he tried to sound more convinced than he felt, breathing quickly not to start crying. “I think Gwaine'll understand if you ask him not to tell anyone else. And it's not like it's gonna happen again, so...”

Arthur regarded him, his brow furrowed in confusion. “You're saying-” he started to say something, but Merlin got ahead of him once again.

“It'll be better if we forget all this happened” Merlin stated, finally looking him in the eyes. “Do you think you can make Gwaine keep his mouth shut?”

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself short from it. His face hardened suddenly, his jaw muscles visibly tightening up, his eyes becoming cold and distant like Merlin had never seen before. “All right” Arthur nodded firmly, his arms folding in front of his chest and his feet spreading apart as if he was containing a physical attack. “As you wish.”

“Right” Merlin confirmed, lifting his chin resolutely.

“I'll talk to Gwaine” Arthur sentenced and, all of a sudden, Merlin couldn't look at him anymore, his eyes stinging and his throat threatening to close up.

“Great” Merlin said, looking around. “I gotta go, now.”

He turned his back on Arthur and made his way to the stairs before Arthur could see the tears forming in his eyes.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **¹** T &D - Training and Development  
> 
> 
> **²** HR – Human Resources  
> 
> 
> **A.N.:** next chapter'll be the last one of this first part! Also, my friend Matt, the one I wrote this fic for, has written an extra scene about Gwaine and Percy, which tells exactaly what happened to them at Arthur's party! It's beautiful and he allowed me to translate it to english, ~~so I'll be posting it separately sometime soon~~ so chek it out on my profile ;)


	12. Part 1 - Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my profile for the Gwaine/Percy extra bit!
> 
> It's called **"Perfect"**!

**Chapter 11**

  
  


**22nd week**

"... and we got to finish the cosmetic industry's project too. I think Stewart'll be pleased with the result" Leon was saying and Arthur was struggling to pay attention to his words, but it was hard to when he could see Merlin talking to Gwen right behind Leon's shoulder. "Tomorrow I'll be visiting a textile factory right after lunch. I'm thinking about taking Nelson with me."

Amidst Merlin's gestures and faces as he talked and pointed to something on the computer screen, Arthur realized the silence filled with expectations that followed Leon's words and blinked, facing Leon once again and trying to recall what he'd just said.

"Yes, sure, I think that's a great idea" Arthur agreed. "Just make sure he won't delay Hill's project because of that. The deadline is this friday."

"Sure" Leon gathered the files he had scattered about Arthur's table, taking more time than necessary. He looked like he was considering what to say next. "Are you sure you don't want me to go to the law office after the factory? I'll be on the road already, this way you don't have to worry about it."

Arthur opened his mouth to deny, but thought better of it. He sighed and leaned against the backrest of his chair, pressing his nose bridge. "All right, I guess I don't have a mind to deal with this right now, anyway. But I think you'd better take Morgana with you."

"Actually, I'm counting on that" Leon admitted, just a bit embarrassed. "I'll talk to her so she can let me in on the details of the trial."

Arthur nodded and was about to turn his computer screen on again when Leon stopped halfway to the door, stepping from one foot to the other, before sitting down again. "Arthur… I know this is none of my business, but… I noticed things seem to be a bit tense between you and… Merlin. Is there something I can do to help?"

Arthur was so tired he didn't have the strength to feel outraged by the fact that Leon had noticed it. Damn, the whole company had probably realized it by now. After all, it wasn't very common for Arthur to let Merlin free to assist the other staff members as he pleased. Or for it to go an entire day without Arthur sticking his head out of his office to call for Merlin every few seconds - let alone four days! The fact that Merlin avoided looking him in the eyes and did everything Arthur cared to ask of him without a single complain must've been a tip-off too.

It was ten times worth everything Arthur had endured until then: having to suppress his instincts every time Merlin smiled openly at someone or when he walked around the room, offering his help on some activity or distributing the paperwork pilling up the printer machine exit; being forced to refrain himself from taking his frustration out on other people who had nothing to do with all that; having to swallow his own pride and pretend he wasn't _completely and_ _utterly_ _crushed_.

Yet, every time he recalled Merlin's resolute face as he spelled out that he wished to forget what had happened, Arthur felt himself flood with anger and disappointment all over again. Anger at himself for being so stupid and impulsive, for forcing a situation upon Merlin even though he knew it to be wrong - Merlin was drunk, for God's sake! -, for giving himself hope, for allowing himself a taste of what he could never have again.

For that reason, Arthur had plunged into his work. He had taken over twice as manycontracts as he used to and, adding to that his others attributions, he barely had the time to breath. Nonetheless, he still couldn't forget what happened. Arthur felt bad for dismissing Merlin from attending his appointments. He knew it wasn't fair to the boy, but he also knew he couldn't afford to make another mistake. Deep down, he knew some part of him wanted to punish Merlin for not returning his feelings.

Arthur insisted he was perfectly capable of continuing as Merlin's supervisor, even after being rejected, but that obviously wasn't the case. Not for the first time, Arthur wished he could will himself to be less selfish. At least this way he wouldn't ruin Merlin's career - or his own, if he stopped to think about it.

"There's nothing you can do, Leon" Arthur said, at least.

In truth, there was nothing Arthur could do either. If Merlin wasn't interested in him, who was Arthur to force himself on the boy? Merlin had the right to not want him - or anyone, as a matter of fact - and whatever Arthur did from then on could be considered harassment. In fact, Merlin could get him in seriously trouble if he wished to and Arthur wouldn't be able to justify himself. Arthur wouldn't _want_ to justify himself. He was feeling like the vilest of the creatures, at the moment.

"Are you sure?" Leon asked, frowning in genuine concern.

Arthur slowly released the air from his lungs and shook his head. "I appreciate your concern, Leon, but just… forget it. We have more pressing things to worry about right now."

Leon nodded, even though reluctantly, and left the office. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later when Arthur was interrupted by the operator's call. "Mr. Pendragon, Miss Kelly wishes to speak to you" Beatrice said and Arthur was about to tell her to patch Elena through when she finished her line: "in person."

Only then did Arthur bother to look up, finding Elena smiling at him from across the glass wall. Without another word, Arthur hung up and signaled for Elena to come in while he rounded his desk to open the door for her. "What're you doing here?" Arthur asked, kissing her cheek.

"I came to London on business, but I had an opening and decided to visit some old friends" she pointed to the visitor badge she had attached to her business suit lapel. "I intended to come last week for your birthday, but they wouldn't let me."

"Come. Have a seat" Arthur offered, gesturing for her to take one of the chairs. "Can I get you some tea?"

"I had some coffee at Marketing, thanks" Elena sat by the edge of the chair and leaned over the desk to stare at him with that mischievous grin of hers. "I may be a bit pleased that Miller had gained some weight, you know? Gosh, she used to be a cow, always counting the calories before putting anything in her mouth and censuring everyone who dared to eat dessert in front of her" she rolled her eyes. "And Smith remains as stupid as ever, only order and nagger-"

She babbled on about some of her ex-colleagues and Arthur allowed himself to be distracted by her easy talk for a moment, inquiring about her family and work.

"So" Elena said after some chitchat. "I'll stay till sunday, use the time to go out with some college friends. But I may consider taking some time to see you, if you'd like."

Arthur was about to answer when he heard two light knocks on the glass. The sight of Merlin at his office door was almost shocking, since he couldn't believe he had actually got distracted to the point of being surprised by his appearance. "Um… Arthur, I'm sorry to disturb you, but you asked me to let you know when Gwen finished her revision. She just sent you the file."

"Oh. Right" Arthur said, trying to get hold of himself again. "Thank you. I'll-"

"Hey!" Elena, who had turned to face Merlin, interrupted him with a cry of surprise. "I know you! You're the guy who kept me company while I was waiting for the taxi last time I came to London!"

Merlin's expression went from confusion to recognition in a blink. "Oh, yeah! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you with your hair pulled back."

"Well, go ahead and say it, I'm more decent than the last time you saw me" she said, high-spirited. "I wasn't even wearing make-up at the time! My name is Elena, by the way. I worked at Marketing Division a few years ago."

"I'm Merlin. Nice to meet you" Merlin stepped ahead to shake her hand. "I'm Arthur's- Um- I'm the division's intern."

Throughout all that exchange, Arthur was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. "Have you two met before?" he asked, at last.

"Yeah! Outside your place!" Elena said and Arthur felt his stomach sink, averting his eyes from Merlin's at the same time Merlin looked away.

"Oh, well, I gotta…" Merlin pointed with his thumb towards some random point outside the office.

"Merlin" Arthur called before he could stop himself, remembering something. "Don't you have some college paperwork to finish?"

Arthur had found out through Gwen that this was Merlin's last week at college and that the boy had a few assignments to do, so he instructed Merlin to isolate himself in the store room during part of his shift, so that he could get it done with. Merlin had looked like he wanted to argue, at the time, but ended up complying without uttering a word.

"Yeah, well, I was heading to the store room now, if you don't mind?"

"Actually, you can go home."

Merlin froze in place for a couple of seconds. His face showed a mixture of shock and puzzlement, but he soon nodded, saying farewell to Elena before he left. It didn't escape Arthur's attention that Merlin had kept all of his sweet smiles for her.

"What was your intern doing at your place on a saturday morning?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"Merlin was helping me with a few chores at my father's cottage" Arthur ignored his friend's searching look. "You said he waited for the cab with you?"

"He did" Elena thought for a moment. "He was just hanging there, outside your building. He looked so tense I felt sorry for him. I started up a conversation and he was really sweet" she turned her searching look to Arthur once again. "If you had set up going to Newbury with him, why were you so anxious when I left?"

"I wasn't _anxious_ " Arthur tried to defend himself, but when Elena was suspicious, she was like a dog with a bone.

"Yes you were! You were worried that someone might see me at your place! You were all dressed up, even. If I didn't know you, I'd think- Oh my God, Arthur!" she looked outside the office. "Are you gay now?"

"Shut up, Elena!" Arthur said between gritted teeth, pointing to the other side of the glass wall. As he anticipated, Sophia Feix was spying over her partition without caring to be discreet. "Do you know how easy it is to lip-read?"

"You're the only person I know who can do it, Arthur" she rolled her eyes.

"Even if that _were_ true, I wouldn't risk encouraging gossips about my sexuality, if you don't mind."

"But you-!"

"Elena" Arthur started again, trying not to lose his temper. "Care to mind your own business?"

Elena stared at him for a moment, outraged, then grabbed her purse and rose to her feet. "Wow! Alright, I can tell when I'm not welcome."

"Elena…" Arthur huffed. "Fuck… Alright, I'm sorry, okay?" he rubbed at his eyes. "I'm not the best person to be around at the moment. But maybe we could… have lunch? Over the weekend?"

Elena considered it for a moment, still visibly upset, before shrugging. "Who knows? Call me and we'll see about it."

.Merlin.

On friday, Merlin was thinking that newfound freedom quite unsettling. He had left CRM's room some time ago with a couple of boxes to leave at the Warehouse and had to wait about fifteen minutes while the Maintenance guys finished inspecting the air conditioning system before he could enter to check in the items he brought. Throughout the process, he kept checking his phone every minute up to the point when he realized what he was doing. He had gotten so used to Arthur breathing down his neck every time he got out of his sight that he found himself antsy, waiting for the moment Arthur would text him or call him to know _why the fuck he was taking so long_.

Yet, almost half an hour later, there was neither message nor call. While Merlin waited for the elevator, he tried to reason with himself about why he was so upset with all that. Wasn't that exactly what he wanted all this time? That Arthur'd give him a bit of space and autonomy? That he'd show confidence in him? Then what the hell was he complaining about, now that he finally got it?

As a matter of fact, that wasn't the only thing bothering him. Arthur was acting completely different around him, in a much more serious, professional way. Courteous even. The way he treated all other employees - except maybe Gwaine. And perhaps that was exactly the problem. Merlin found out he didn't like being treated like everybody else. He missed the way Arthur felt comfortable enough around him to be himself, to let the best and the worst of him show without worrying about what others might think of him, without being careful with his words, without thinking twice before acting.

Throughout all the week, Arthur hadn't so much as raised his tone of voice at him, nor bitched about something Merlin did, but he hadn't asked his opinion on any of the projects he'd reviewed either, neither given him any chore of personal matter and - worst of all - he hadn't so much as touched Merlin. Not even when Merlin almost bumped on him at arriving, on tuesday - in fact, Arthur had backed off, keeping his hands firmly alongside his body, as if he was careful to avoid even the lightest and most incidental of physical contacts. He was acting all mature and businesslike, but the truth was, to Merlin, he looked cold and distant.

Merlin could understand all that. He knew it was entirelyhis own fault. Never mind Arthur used to tease him before, making questionable innuendos, but words didn't mean anything. Anyone could say anything without the slightest intention of acting upon it. But Merlin had poked and prodded until his supervisor actually did something and ended up losing Arthur's trust as a result.

Even though he knew he couldn't blame anyone besides himself, it hurt. A lot.

But the scene he had witnessed the day before was the worst of all. Merlin hadn't recognized the woman talking to Arthur until she mentioned that saturday morning they met, in front of Arthur's building. She was much more elegant than the last time he'd seen her, with her business suit, high heels, hair tied up and perfect make-up - unlike the previous time, when he saw her with messy hair, face still puffy from sleep as if she'd just jumped out of bed. Arthur's bed, as it happens.

When she introduced herself as Elena, from Marketing Division, Merlin almost cursed out loud. Gaius had mentioned an ex-girlfriend with that name, hadn't he? Merlin left Arthur's office completely crushed and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus on finishing his college assignment. At least he was at home, where no one could see him cry like a heartbroken schoolgirl while listening to _We Don't Talk Anymore - Charlie Puth (feat. Selena Gomez)_. Yet, even the fact that Arthur had sent him home made his heart ache.

A noise at the other end of the corridor made Merlin look up, finding Gili standing a few steps ahead, staring at him with rounded eyes as if caught in some incriminating act.

Merlin offered him a tentative smile. "Hey, Gili."

"Hey" Gili said back, continuing to step up in his direction, even though he avoided looking him in the eyes. He stopped by Merlin's side and frowned, looking between the lift's closed doors and Merlin again. "Um. You know you have to push the button to call the lift, right?"

"Oh, bollocks" Merlin sighed and then forced a smile as he pressed the button, which lightened up.

"So, how's your spring break going so far?" Gili asked after long seconds of an uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, I'm only today officially on break" Merlin admitted. "I had a bunch of work to hand over these past weeks. How about you?"

"Fine" Gili shrugged.

The lift door's opened up and they got inside, standing in opposite sides. Gili pressed the seventh floor button.

Merlin hated that tense atmosphere. Will always made fun of him for not being angry with anyone for too long, not even when he exploded the school's chemistry lab and blamed Merlin, despite Merlin not even been present at the time. Hunith had grounded Merlin for an entire week because of that, but it didn't take Merlin two days to break his promise of never speaking to Will again.

"Er… Gili?" Merlin called when they exited the elevator, before Gili could walk away to the Maintenance room. "I'm sorry about what I said to you last week. I know you meant well. I shouldn't have lashed out at you the way I did."

"Oh, it's okay" Gili shrugged. "You were right, anyway. I shouldn't have said those things to you without making sure first. Besides…" he looked somewhat embarrassed for a moment. "I heard about what Pendragon did with the money he won and I felt pretty stupid for not contributing."

"Oh, yeah, well…" Merlin felt relieved, suddenly. If it weren't for the argument he had with Gili, he probably wouldn't have participated either. "You couldn't have known that."

"Yeah, but it's not just that" Gili fidgeted awkwardly. "My supervisor said he worked directly with Pendragon for a few years, a while ago. He said he was just an assistant at the time, but Pendragon treated him decently and even encouraged him to specialize in his area of activity and follow the engineering career."

"Oh…" Merlin marveled.

"Yeah..." it was Gili's turn to force a smile. "I think I'm the one owing you an apology, after all."

Merlin's shoulders slumped. "Look… How about we both just forget about all this?" he offered.

Gili looked grateful for that. "I think that's a great idea."

"Deal" Merlin felt like a weight had been lifted off his back. He smiled more freely now. "So. Do you have something planned for the break?"

"Well, it's not like I could travel, with the internship and everything" Gili considered. "But I'm thinking about spending at least one weekend in Ireland with my brothers."

"You're Irish?" Merlin said, amazed. "My mother's family is too. But I don't usually volunteer that information to other people, otherwise they tend to assume I spend the whole day drinking, when in fact I'm a lightweight drinker."

"Oh, I know what you mean" Gili laughed. "My friends keep making fun of me, giving me custom made t-shirts with Irish jokes. One of these days I'll wear one to work, you'll see. My favorite one says 'I'm sick of all Irish stereotypes. As soon as I finish this drink, I'm punching someone'."

Merlin laughed. "I bet you have one that says 'Kiss me, I'm Irish'."

"A dozen, actually" Gili confirmed. "One of them continues with 'Slip me some tongue, I'm part French'!"

Merlin laughed harder, bending forward, but his mirth died out the minute his eyes met Arthur's, staring at him from the other end of the hallway.

Arthur was standing as if frozen right in front of CRM's door. Merlin swallowed dry before Arthur's cold stare.

When the man turned to regard Gili with that same menacing look, the boy cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I should get going" Gili said, already opening the door to the Maintenance Division, his eyes switching from Merlin to Arthur and back to Merlin. "I'll see you later, Merlin."

"Okay" Merlin said soberly, unable to hold Arthur's eyes for more than one second at the time. He scratched the back of his head. "Um" Merlin meant to explain himself, justify his delay and try to clarify what just happened, but he didn't know where to start.

They were more than two meters apart, but none of them dared to come any closer.

"Shouldn't you be finishing your homework or something?" Arthur asked, his front creased with disapproval.

"Er... No? I handed the last one this morning. Besides, it's friday" Merlin pursed his lips together.

"Right" Arthur nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. His brow didn't smooth out, though. "You can get to shredding the paper accumulated over the week, then."

"Right" it was Merlin's turn to answer, stepping from one foot to the other. "I should..."

As if an enchantment had been broken, they began to walk again at the same time in opposite directions and Arthur made sure of circling as far away as possible from him, so that they didn't risk touching as they passed one another. The tension between them had never been so blatant before and that made Merlin's throat close up. As he reached the CRM's door, Merlin looked back in time to see Arthur entering the men's room.

Merlin took a tremble breath before opening the door and getting inside.

.M.

By the end of the day, when Merlin stepped over the HR Division to get his paycheck, he was met by Gwaine, who for the first time didn't seem to be lazing around, but was actually getting some work done.

"Where's Elyan?" Merlin asked at seeing the man's desk empty.

"Good to see you too!" Gwaine said, wounded. "Ely's caught himself a cold. Or so he said to his boss. Particularly, I think it's quite convenient for someone to be sick overnight on a friday, you know?" he flipped through the envelopes by his table until he found Merlin's. "However it pains me to admit it, I believe you didn't come all this way only to see my handsome face, did you?"

"Thanks" slightly warily, Merlin accepted the check and the pen Gwaine offered him, bending down to sign the receipt.

"So..." Gwaine started in a lower tone so that no one could overhear them - there was only a couple of other people scattered about the room - and Merlin flinched. He had avoided his friend purposefully throughout the entire week, for he was certain Gwaine wouldn't miss the opportunity to comment on something about the last weekend. And rightfully so, as it seemed. "Have you and Princess patched things up?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Merlin feigned ignorance, giving back his pen. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go or I'll be forced to wait another half hour at the packed tube station."

"Why, Merlin, don't be so hard on him" Gwaine whined and Merlin rolled his eyes, but continued his way to the door as Gwaine insisted on talking to him. "It doesn't suit you. You're the kindest, sweetest person I know. Why are you doing this to him? You fancy him as much as he fancies you and don't try to deny it-"

"I'm not-" Merlin sighed and slouched his shoulders before retracing his steps to Gwaine's desk, taking his backpack off his shoulders and lowering his upper body to look him in the face. "Now you listen to me, Gwaine. Don't ask me why, since I don't know the reason myself, but I see you as my best friend in here. I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but... If you really regard me as a friend, please, _please_ stop it, alright? Arthur doesn't like me. He isn't suffering because of me. In fact, he can't wait for my contract to be over so that he can get rid of me! And it doesn't matter if I fancy him or not. That doesn't change the fact that nothing'll ever happen between us. _Ever_!"

"I'm your best friend?" Gwaine repeated, astounded, and Merlin whimpered regretfully.

"Oh, God, please don't let it go to your head-"

"And did you just call me God? Have I died and gone to heaven now?"

"Fuck, Gwaine..."

Merlin grabbed his backpack again and was about to walk away when Gwaine spoke again, this time sounding more sober than Merlin had ever witnessed. "You couldn't be more wrong, you know? Arthur is completely smitten with you. In a way I've never seen before."

"No, he's not" Merlin insisted, closing his eyes. "Gwaine-"

"No. Now _you_ listen to me" Gwaine sounded annoyed and that was something so unnatural on him that Merlin felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "You think you know him that well after a few months? Well, I've known him for over a decade. I've seen him fall in love and out of it a couple of times, so I know just what I'm talking about. He's _sick_ with love for you!"

"Lov-" Merlin mumbled, skeptical, then shook his head. "Have you gone insane?"

"I've never been so sane in my entire life" Gwaine assured. "He isn't suffering for you, is he? Oh, give me a break! He wasn't this devastated not even when he broke up with Mithian and, just so you know, they were going to get married! If he can't wait for your contract to end, care to explain why hasn't he moved you to another division or even assigned Leon as your supervisor? And, sure, nothing'll ever happen between the both of you, but that's because _you_ won't allow it to, not him."

"What was he doing with his ex yesterday, then?"

"Who? Elena?" Gwaine dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "That's water under the bridge. They're just friends."

"Oh, yeah?" Merlin returned, ironically. "As it happens, I saw her leaving his place in the morning, a few weeks ago."

Gwaine was about to deny it when he frowned, thinking better of it. "Really?" he asked, to what Merlin readily confirmed, but Gwaine shook his head. "No, they're nothing but good friends. She's moved out to France. Permanently. Whatever it was, they aren't getting back together, believe me. But Arthur isn't a celibate monk nor a ten year old boy, Merlin. You have to understand that people have certain... needs to attend."

"Is he bisexual, then?" Merlin carried on, refusing to believe what he was hearing. "Has he shown any interest in other men before?"

"Does it really matter?" Gwaine said exasperatedly. "He isn't in love with your gender. He's in love with you, with who you are! The right question here is: _are you interested_? Because if you are, you'll have to be very specific with him. He likes calling other people thick to feel superior, but the truth is he's the most dense and blind of all living things when it comes to feelings. So? Do you fancy him?"

Merlin opened his mouth and closed it again. He had never admitted it out loud. To no one. Actually, he'd never professed his feelings for _anyone_ before. Maybe that was the reason why the words kept sticking in his throat, refusing to come out. Giving up on a straight answer, Merlin changed his approach. "Alright, if he's so smitten with me, _why_ _hasn't_ _he said so_?"

Gwaine threw his hands to the air as if asking for patience. "Look, another thing you should know about Arthur is that he likes to be seen as a bully when actually he's the greatest gentleman of all gentlemen. He wouldn't say or do anything that could give the impression that he's taking advantage of you or coercing you somehow. Whatever happened between the two of you last friday, Arthur believes you want nothing to do with him. Anyhow, he won't lay a finger on you until you tell him exactly where you want him to stick it, understand?"

Gwaine's harsh words acted like a jolt on Merlin and he suddenly recalled Arthur's indignation when Merlin brought his character into question. He remembered all the times Arthur had teased him without ever acting upon it. He remembered Arthur's assurance that Merlin always had a choice and, despite his insensitive attitude most of the time, he always respected Merlin's choices. He never really forced Merlin to do anything against his will. God, even now, he was probably only respecting Merlin's decision to forget everything that happened between them!

‘ _As you wish_ ' Merlin recalled Arthur's exact words, but only now he truly realized the hurt hidden behind the mask of coldness he'd worn at the time.

"Fuck" Merlin cursed, covering his mouth with his hands.

"He's in your hands, Merlin. He always hasbeen."

"No, Gwaine, I- I fucked this up! I really fucked up, this time!"

"Hey" Gwaine moved around the desk and hugged him as Merlin let the tears run free. "Easy, there. You didn't fuck things up."

"Did too! I pretty much dared him to kiss me and he did and then I-" Merlin sobbed. "I was so embarrassed I said that it'd never happen again."

"Why don't you come to the pub with us tonight?" Gwaine softly caressed his hair. "Arthur said he'd come too. Then you can talk and sort things out."

"I'm not sure that'sa good idea" Merlin took a step back, sniffing and wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "God, I'm making a fool of myself, aren't I?"

"Don't worry about that. It's just the two of us here."

" _Ahem_ " someone cleared their throat and Merlin jolted from the shock, certain that he'd find Arthur staring at him with eyes filled with resentment. But the room was empty except for them and Percy, who was leaning on the doorpost, his arms crossed, blocking the passage both in and out.

"Percy doesn't count" Gwaine grinned teasingly.

"How long were you standing there, Percy?" Merlin asked, drying the tear tracks as best as he could.

"Long enough" Percy shrugged. "Gwaine's right, you know. You should come with us tonight."

"Right" Merlin sniffed one last time, grabbing his backpack. "Maybe I will. But I'm not making any promises."

He said goodbye to his friends and left.

.M.

Merlin had changed his mind about three or four times already, going as far as changing and unchanging his clothes a couple of times before making up his mind. When he got to the pub, it was already past eight o'clock, but Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

"The Princess hasn'tgraced us with his presence yet" Gwaine said, untangling himself from Percy's arm to meet Merlin on his way to their table. "He's not answering my calls, that lying son of a bitch. I spoke to him at lunch time and he assured me he'd come!"

Merlin released the air from his lungs and took a look around them, trying to decide what to do next.

"Why don't you sit down?" Gwaine offered, trying to sound nonchalant. "He should be on his way. Come on, I'll get you a-"

"No, Gwaine" Merlin backed off, feeling anxious. "Look, I'm not sure it was a good idea coming here, anyway. I'll talk to him on monday."

"Are you sure?" Gwaine frowned. "Why don't you call him? I bet he'd answer you."

"Yeah, I might do just that" Merlin said, even though he didn't really mean it. He had no idea of what he could possibly say in case Arthur picked up.

Half an hour later, Merlin found himself standing in front of Arthur's building, not really sure of how he got there or what he intended to do, so he kept staring at the intercom trying to muster the nerve to buzz it. At some point, while he was still arguing with himself, an elderly man arrived and held the door open, staring at him from head to toe before asking politely if he wished to come inside. Merlin thanked him and climbed the stairs unhurriedly, taking deep breaths to build up the courage to tell Arthur his mind.

He was so nervous his fingers were shaking. Even his breath came out in short puffs. His hands were cold when he stuck them in his pockets after knocking on the door to the 201st apartment. The seconds stretched by without a response and Merlin tried again. Feeling something between relief and disappointment, Merlin run his hands through his hair and leaned back on the wall, taking his phone out of his pocket. There was no word from Gwaine, which meant Arthur probably hadn't made it there. Before he could change his mind, Merlin sent Arthur a message: ‘ _Are you home?_ '

Then he allowed himself slide down the wall until he was sitting in fetal position and remained there, hiding his face in his crossed arms.

What the hell was he doing? Gwaine was probably so fucking wrong about all that. His intention was good, Merlin was certain of it, but he could've misinterpreted the signs. Or else, even if Gwaine was right and Arthur had really been romantically interested in Merlin, the whole scenario could have changed over the last week. Arthur might very well have moved on by now or simply changed his mind about him, after confirming exactly how immature and inexperienced Merlin truly was.

The door opened all of a sudden and Merlin jumped to his feet, coming face to face with Arthur, who was standing in front of his door, dressed in only his sweatpants, barefooted, topless and slightly disheveled. "Merlin?" he asked, confused. "What're you doing here?"

"Arthur" Merlin swallowed audibly, trying not to look bellow his chin line. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have showed up uninvited like this. It's just that I went to The Rising Sun and you weren't there, so I figured I could find you here. Um" he hesitated then, feeling more ridiculous by the second before Arthur's perplexed look.

Arthur looked behind his shoulder before pulling the door nearly closed and leaning on it. "Did you buzz?" he sounded unsure and Merlin wondered if he had awakened him, even though it wasn't ten o'clock yet.

"No. One of your neighbors let me in. I'm sorry about that too" Merlin scratched the hair on his nape, averting his eyes. "Look, I just wanted to say I was a jerk with you. I simply assumed you were sorry about what happened and I wanted to make things easier for you. I mean, I know it was childish of me and I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me after that, but I didn't want you to think I didn't like it, ‘cause- God, I can't stop thinking about that and it's _killing_ me. I mean, I know it wouldn't be easy and we'd probably have to be discreet because of what others might think… Damn, I don't even know what my mom would think of it-"

"Merlin-" Arthur started to say, his brow furrowing even further, but Merlin didn't let him say any more.

"No, no, please, let me finish it. I need to get it off my chest for once. Maybe Gwaine's wrong and you never really liked me that way, but he's right about one thing: I've got to be honest with you and with myself. The truth is I think about you _all the time_. I want you so much it scares the shit out of me. I never felt this way about anyone before, I don't know what to think, don't know what to do-" Merlin took a moment to process Arthur's wide eyes and the way he kept looking over his shoulder, but when he finally realized what that meant, he felt his stomach go cold, it's numbness spreading slowly through his limbs. "Oh my God… You aren't alone, are you?"

"Merlin, I-"

"Oh my God!" Merlin covered his mouth with his hands, suppressing a sob, his eyes rapidly filling with tears. "Oh, shit!"

"Merlin, please, let me explain" Arthur sounded breathless, but Merlin wasn't listening to him anymore, stepping away from him when he made a move to grab Merlin's arm.

"Forget what I just said. Please, forget I've ever been here. God, this is so-"

Merlin turned on his heels and ran off to the stairs.

.M.

The mere sight of Merlin with Gili in the hallway, that afternoon, laughing so openly and talking about French-kissing, made Arthur see red. It took him a significant amount of strength not to strangle him right then and there, so much Arthur felt his head ache instantly as he grinded his teeth.

And then, the way Merlin's smile died suddenly at spotting him was the final twist to the knife carved into his chest. Arthur never felt as stupid as in that very moment. And he hated feeling stupid. He hated the humiliation of having to watch while Merlin smiled and flirted so blatantly with a boy his age. He hated being angry at himself for keeping alive the shred of hope throughout all the week, waiting for Merlin to change his mind any minute, even though everything seemed to point the other way around. He hated been unable to do anything to stop Merlin from looking at other people the way he'd never look at Arthur.

Because of all that, Arthur had called Elena by the end of the day, saying he had changed his mind and asking if she was free that night. As it happened, Elena had already made plans to go out with some friends, but she agreed to stop by his place before she met them. There was no need for dinner, questions or foreplay. Just like the last time, they had barely talked before going to bed and Arthur felt so grateful for her he could've easily mistaken it for something deeper, if not for the fact that his thoughts insisted on turning back to Merlin even while he fucked Elena senseless.

He heard the knocks on the door amidst the post-organs stupor, but he assumed it was Gwaine, who had left hundreds messages on his voicemail, but Arthur wasn't in the mood to deal with his friend at the moment. For this reason he was left completely bewildered at reading Merlin's message, wondering if he'd gone insane for good. As unlikely as the possibility that Merlin was looking for him at that time of night might've been, Arthur had left Elena resting on his bed and put his sweatpants on to go downstairs. As he opened the door, he found Merlin hunched over himself alongside the door.

And then, as Merlin dumped his confusing and nervous speech, Arthur began to put together the pieces that made any sense from what he was saying and felt dumber by the second - as impossible as it might've looked like before.

How could he have been so blind? Was Merlin really that puzzled and scared? And had he reciprocated his feelings all this time?

But the joy that comprehension brought was gone in a blink as he realized what that actually meant, what Arthur had done. And Merlin seemed to come to that conclusion at the same time he did, his eyes going instantly round and filling with tears as if he was a trapped deer.

Merlin didn't let Arthur explain himself. He ran off to the stairs, but Arthur wouldn't allow him to flee. Not this time. Not ever. He ran after Merlin like a predator hunting, catching him in the middle of the flight of stairs. Arthur held him firmly against himself, letting him struggle as he liked trying to get free, though to no avail.

"Let go of me! Please, let me go. Please, Arthur" Merlin whimpered, squirming and twitching, but Arthur kept him securely in place. He was trying to be careful not to hurt him, but the possibility of losing him was worse than anything.

"I can't, Merlin" Arthur said between tightened teeth. "I can't let you go, you see? Not until you listen to me."

Merlin wept freely then, his body shaking as he lost the strength, falling limply on Arthur's body. Arthur loosened up his arms, turning him around and cuddling him to his own body. When Merlin's legs threatened to give out, Arthur lowered him down until they were both seating on the steps, Merlin one level below, curled up between Arthur's legs. Arthur kept Merlin's face cradled to his chest like a small child, caressing his nape and his shoulders and mumbling soothing words.

Jesus, Arthur could hardly believe what he'd just done. Merlin was so pure and innocent! He had opened his heart up so bravely like Arthur could never have done, he acknowledged he never felt so vulnerable to anybody before and Arthur had ruthlessly shattered his heart. How could he have been so cruel and selfish?

When Merlin's sobs finally calmed down, he was completely molded to Arthur's body, his eyes closed nearly peacefully, except for the creases on his forehead. Arthur kissed his temple, trying to smooth his skin there and leaned his chin on top of Merlin's head.

When Arthur spoke again, his voice was deep and unstable. "I know it's hard for you to understand it, since you've never been in a relationship before, but… Christ, Merlin" Arthur had no idea how to explain himself without sounding even more lame and scummy. "Elena and I? We're just friends now. This- What happened tonight meant nothing to me. Nothing, honestly. But you…" Arthur blinked a few times, trying to swallow the lump in his throat as Merlin started to cry quietly once again, snuggling up even closer to him. "I can't lose you, Merlin. I'd tie you up to me like this if I thought it would solve all of our problems" he held Merlin tighter, as if to reinforce his words. "But I can't do that either."

He sniffled at the same time Merlin wiped his nose with the back of his hand, even though Arthur's chest was completely wet with a mixture of tears and saliva.

"I'm an asshole, Merlin. But you already know that. Fuck, you know that better than anyone since day one. But if only you'd give me a chance… Christ, Merlin, you've _got_ to give me a chance."

Arthur sighed, taking in the sweet smell of Merlin's hair. It was pointless trying to express his thoughts into words. Arthur was utterly incapable of expressing his feelings without sounding like a possessive, arrogant bastard.

"You're not an asshole" Merlin mumbled, hoarsely. "You're a supercilious prat."

"Supercilious?" Arthur smiled, feeling a twinge of hope and relief at hearing those words. "That's a big word, Merlin. Are you sure you know what it means?"

"Condescending" Merlin offered.

"Very good" Arthur nodded proudly.

"Patronizing" Merlin continued.

"It doesn't quite mean that…"

"No" Merlin placed a hand on his chest as if intending to push him away, but never really made an effort on it. "These are other things you are."

"Hang on!" Arthur pretended to be insulted.

"Overbearing. Very Overbearing."

Arthur looked down at him, a fond smile on his face. Merlin looked back at him, his eyes a bit swollen and wet, but his face was more relaxed, though still serious. "Are you ever going to change, Merlin?"

Merlin shrugged as much as Arthur tight hug allowed him to. "No, you'd get bored."

Arthur smiled and Merlin averted his eyes. Arthur kissed his cheekbone, tasting the salt of his tears. "No man's worth your tears, Merlin."

"Yeah. You're certainly not" Merlin assured, moving back to dry his face with his own shirt. "Damn, I'm a mess" he sounded self-conscious, looking at Arthur's chest and then at himself before standing up on his knees so that he could wipe Arthur's chest with his hand under his own shirt. "I'm sorry about that."

In that position, his face was almost leveled to Arthur and they stared at each other for a moment until Merlin's eyes fixed somewhere behind Arthur. Arthur looked past his shoulder to see Elena standing at the top of the stairs, holding the access door open. Merlin started to back off, but Arthur circled a hand at the base of his spine, keeping him in place.

"Hey" said Elena, an unsure smile on her lips. She was wearing the same clothes she came in and had freshened her makeup. "Um. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted to tell you I'm on my way."

"Elena, you remember Merlin, right?" Arthur said and Merlin stopped trying to hide or escape from his grip, seeming quite taken aback from his words.

"Oh, sure. I's nice to see you again, Merlin" Elena smiled properly this time, waving in a friendly way. Then she got serious again. "Although not in the current circumstances. I didn't mean to overhear, but…" she bit her lower lip, shyly. "I hope you're not too harsh on Arthur. He really cares about you."

Elena bid farewell and closed the door again, giving them some privacy. Arthur turned back to Merlin, who had a pensive look on his face. Their eyes locked once again, still very close to each other, Merlin's hip pressing against Arthur's stomach, Arthur's loose arms around Merlin's waist, his muscles ready to tense up at the first sign of struggle. Merlin's hands were resting upon Arthur's shoulders, ready to push him away, but he didn't seem about to resist. His lips parted and Arthur's eyes lowered down to them instantly.

Arthur was craving to kiss him until his lips got swollen, mark his neck just like the first time, throw him on his shoulder and carry him upstairs, toss him to his bed and do unspeakable things to him. Before he could give in to any of those wishes, though, Arthur buried his face on the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent one last time.

He should keep in mind that Merlin was a virgin and, however inhuman the effort to contain himself seemed to be, Arthur wanted to do right by him. After all, it was because of his unthinking actions that he'd ended hurting Merlin, in the first place. He wanted it to be special. He should take Merlin on a date, court him the way he deserved to be courted - the way he probably _would_ be, if he chose to go out with people his age. If Arthur gave in to his impulses now, he'd be robbing that from Merlin. Besides, Merlin was too vulnerable in that very moment and Arthur shouldn't take advantage of that if he didn't want to add this to his increasingly long list of regrets.

"Promise me you'll give me a chance" Arthur whispered into his ear.

"What would you do if I said no?" Merlin asked, docilely consenting to be hugged.

"I'd rather not find out" Arthur sighed, leaning back to stare at him again. "Just promise me you'll think about it, then, ok?"

Merlin nodded, his eyes shining bright, and Arthur finally let go of him after helping him get to his feet.

"I gotta go" Merlin said, taking one step downstairs and sticking his hands in his pockets.

Arthur was about to offer to drive him home or call a cab to him, but he thought best of it. Merlin was probably in need of some space to think things through right now. The least Arthur could do after all that was respect his decision.

"Alright."

Arthur took some time staring at the place where Merlin had left before heading back to his apartment.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A.N.:** This is the end of Part One! Things are about to get a bit hot(ter? XD) now.
> 
> **E.N.:** Amy must you always leave me in tears and angst???? Really now how many times are you going to get my hopes up just to crush them like a spider in your bathtub?!  >:|Also I just fixed your authors note too. Please don't forget to capitalize or punctuate please. 
> 
> **A.N.:** Oh God, I feel like I'm a terrible person right now... Sorry not sorry XD. And thanks, Lexi :D!


	13. Part 2 - Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you **Nomi** for saving us all once again!
> 
> **Warning:** unsafe oral sex

**Part Two**

**Chapter 12**

  
 

‘ _Can you believe Will’s still not over being defeated by you?’_  


‘ _Really?’_  


‘ _Yeah. He made me play against him about ten times today. To prove his superiority or something. He swears he’d have beaten you if you weren’t - his words, not mine - such a chicken.’_  


‘ _Whatever makes him sleep at night.’_  


‘ _Yeah, but he could leave me out of it, right? I never really liked that game!’_  


‘ _Don’t play it, then!’_  


‘ _Try telling him that. Speaking of which, you could very well accept another round with him just so that he could get out of my hair.’_  


‘ _I can’t see how it’d make things better, since he’d lose again. Besides, it’s no fun winning a match when the person you’re winning it for prefers to give his attention to some random barman.’_  


  
Arthur restlessly stared at his phone’s screen for a while when the answer didn’t come right away, like the previous ones. Cursing under his breath, he tried again:  _‘Hey, fancy going out with me?’_   


‘ _Going out? Like, today?’_  


‘ _Yeah. Catch a movie, maybe?’_  


‘ _A movie?’_  


‘ _We don’t have to go to the movies. Wherever you’d like, really. Dinner, pub, bowling, watching some play, the Arsenal’s match, the Tate, kart racing, theme park… Your pick.’_  


‘ _The movie is fine, I guess.’_  


‘ _Maybe skydiving.’_  


‘ _Very funny.’_  


‘ _I’ll pick you up at eight.’_  


‘ _I’ll be ready.’_  


‘ _I missed you.’_  


‘ _Arthur, it’s been only… What? Sixteen hours since we saw each other last, if that?’_  


“May I ask what’s making you smile like that to your phone?” Morgana asked.  


Arthur cleared his throat, slipping his phone into his trousers’ pocket and trying to smooth his facial muscles. “What? I was just watching some funny videos.”

“Oh, really?” Morgana offered him one of the whiskey glasses she was carrying and sat down beside him on the porch bench. “I got the impression you were texting someone.”  


“You got the wrong impression” Arthur sipped at his drink.  


“Clearly” Morgana slowly swung the content of her glass. “So, what do you think about Catrina?”  


Arthur pouted, thinking carefully before answering. “She seems to be nice. Better than the previous ones.”

“Too nice, I’d say” Morgana sounded ironic. “Did you know father was considering getting married again?”  


“I had no idea” Arthur confessed. “You?”  


Morgana snorted. “I thought he’d never even think about it. I mean, it’s not like he has a life outside of work” she stared at Arthur then, her eyes getting round all of a sudden. “Do you think he’s going to retire?”

“At this point, nothing could surprise me.”  


Despite the shocking news, Arthur wasn’t as taken aback as his sister. Uther was a lonely man, the few women he dated were nothing but one night stands, it’d be good for him to have a companion. Neither was he worried about the possibility of his father leaving the company. Both he and Morgana had been preparing themselves for the succession since before they got started in the business, things wouldn’t get that different if he made the announcement.

Actually, Arthur had more pressing matters to think about. Like the fact that Merlin had just agreed to go out with him on a date. As eager as he’d been for knowing Merlin’s decision after last night’s confrontation, he hadn’t anticipated it’d happen so soon. He’d resigned himself to spending the whole weekend without hearing from Merlin, but not even twenty four hours had passed until Merlin sent that first unexpected text, as if signaling everything was fine between them, after all.

But it didn’t stop Arthur from feeling tense about the future. There’d been some time since he last went out on a date. Years, in fact. And that was making him insecure to an extent he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He was wondering whether he'd get it right or if he'd fuck things up and make a fool of himself in front of Merlin. Besides all that, there was the fact that this was probably the one and only chance he’d get with Merlin. If he screwed things up, he’d hardly get the opportunity to fix it.

“What are you keeping from me, Arthur?” Arthur was yanked out of his own mind by his sister’s voice and realized she’d been studying him for a while now, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.  


“What on Earth are you talking about, Morgana?” Arthur held his sister’s stare like he had nothing to hide from her.  


“You look different. You were acting all weird at your birthday. At the company, you’ve been more cranky than normal and much more territorial. Your mood’s been swinging in a matter of seconds. And today, at lunch, you seemed distant, absent-minded. You didn’t look that impressed when father introduced Catrina to us as his fiancée. And then, suddenly, you were gone!”  


As soon as Arthur read Merlin’s text, he had excused himself and went outside into his father’s garden, looking for some privacy to talk to Merlin without being concerned about keeping up appearances. Yet, he should have guessed it wouldn’t go unnoticed by Morgana.

“Leon knows about it, doesn’t he?” Morgana kept going when Arthur didn’t offer any explanation.  


“Why don’t you ask him?” Arthur said, feigning nonchalance. Not that he didn’t trust Leon, but he knew how persistent Morgana could be when she was curious about something.  


“Who says I didn’t?” Morgana looked away, which meant Leon had resisted bravely, bless him. “He’s weirdly loyal to you. He’d never tell me anything you wouldn’t want me to know” she went on and Arthur could swear there was a hint of hurt on his sister’s tone. He’d have fallen for it if it wasn’t Morgana. “Does it have anything to do with Elena, by any chance? I heard she went visiting you at work this week.”  


“It has nothing to do with Elena.”  


“If you say so” Morgana shrugged, seeming unconvinced. “Leon and I are looking for an apartment.”  


“What?” Arthur turned to face his sister, now truly surprised. “Really?”  


“Why so shocked?” Morgana sounded defensive.  


“I didn’t know your relationship was this serious” Arthur said. “You haven't been out for that long. Are you sure you’re not being a bit hasty?”  


“We’re going out for long enough, now” Morgana straightened her spine. “Besides, he’s been spending more time at my place than his, so… Why not?”  


“Good luck to you both, then” Arthur finished his whiskey and patted his sister’s shoulder before getting on his feet. “Let’s go back inside before father realizes we’re missing.”  


“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that” Morgana rolled her eyes, but stood up to follow him. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”  


.M.

Merlin didn’t pay as much attention to the movie as he probably should. At first, because he was too jumpy and nervous trying not to dwell on the fact that this was his first date - and with Arthur, of all people. He could barely believe that was really happening. Halfway through the film, when they had already eaten all the popcorn and drunk all the soda, Arthur had simply reached for Merlin’s hand and intertwined their fingers as if it was the most natural thing. The feel of that big, rough hand on his kept his whole body standing on full alert, expectant. Suddenly, he regretted ordering popcorn, wondering if Arthur’d kiss him and end up finding gross kernels remnants in his mouth - no matter how much Merlin searched for them with his tongue, they seemed to appear out of nowhere.

But Arthur didn’t make any move to kiss him. Which left Merlin even more troubled puzzling over what he could have possibly done for him not to. After all, there were at least three couples making out next to them. Merlin wondered if Arthur was waiting for Merlin to make the first move and pictured himself moving his face closer to Arthur’s, but the possibility of him backing off paralyzed him with dread.

Even though Merlin didn’t blame Arthur for sleeping with Elena - after all, Merlin had made it very clear that what happened between them at Arthur’s birthday party didn’t mean anything -, it had ruined what was left of his confidence. Arthur had asked for a chance, but Merlin wasn’t really sure of what that meant until Arthur had invited him out. Even now, he wasn’t sure of what to expect.

  
When the movie was finally over, Arthur took him to a Mexican restaurant - Merlin confessed that the only Mexican food he’d tried before was a burrito and Arthur took it upon himself to introduce him to real Mexican cuisine. Then, in between  _enchiladas, chili, fajitas_ and  _tacos_ for starters  - Arthur had made it very clear for the waiter to go easy on the spice -, they talked about a variety of subjects. Fortunately Arthur didn’t mention the movie they just watched, or Merlin’d have to admit he didn’t pay any attention to it.  


“So you’re officially on break now?” Arthur commented at dessert - an apple tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  


“Finally” Merlin nodded. “I could hardly believe it myself when I turned off my phone’s alarm clock” Merlin took another spoonful of the tart and sighed. “This is fucking delicious.”  


“Absolutely” Arthur agreed, but the way he kept his eyes fixed on Merlin’s mouth, his own dessert nearly untouched, made Merlin wonder if they were talking about the same thing.  


Merlin gabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth just to make sure he hadn’t make a mess with the strawberry syrup.

“Have you made any plans yet?” Arthur asked, seeming to have snapped out of his trance. “To spend the spare time?”  


“No, not yet” Merlin said. “Usually I’d offer Gaius some help in the morning shift, but maybe I should let Will have that."  


Arthur’s brow furrowed. “Actually, I was talking aboutgoing on a trip or something like that.”

“Oh, no, no. Nothing like that” Merlin assured. “My mom often takes the opportunity to go visit my aunt in Ireland, but I don’t usually go with her. Besides, I couldn’t go anyway, with the internship and everything.”  


“If you’d like to, I could find a way to get you a week off” Arthur offered, although he didn’t look very happy about it.  


“Oh” Merlin’s eyes got round. “No. There’s no need to. I don’t think’s fair if I’m the only intern to get this kind of privilege.”  


“Are you interested in working full-time over the break, then?” Arthur proposed and then added before Merlin’s hesitation. “You don’t have to say yes. I don’t even know if it’s a possibility, to be honest. I’d have to speak to Morgana about your contractual terms and payment. But only if you’re interested.”  


“I am” Merlin said after a brief consideration, thinking he could save some money.  


He had made some trips to the mall after Arthur had lent him some money and he had bought himself some more clothes and accessories - which earned him some teasing from Will, who’d asked if he’d gotten himself some pimp as soon as he spotted Merlin’s new watch and bracelet. But the truth was Merlin had picked up a taste for dressing up by realizing the way Arthur used to arch his eyebrow at noticing each and every one of those details and his new outfit. The fact that he’d be able to spent more time with Arthur, even if it was during work time, was something he’d look forward to, undoubtedly.

“But I wouldn’t mind enjoying one or two weeks of lazing around before that” Merlin carried on, thinking about everything he had failed to do over the college year. “I was planning on going to the bank this week, open up an account. And I need a haircut.”  


“Why? What’s wrong with your hair?” Arthur sounded indignant, looking at the top of Merlin’s head.  


“Er… Other than the fact that it could use some hair cut?”  


“It’s great as it is” Arthur pouted as if considering. “Alright, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to cut a bit tighter on the nape and sides, but don’t you dare trim it! And don’t cut the fringe either!”  


Merlin gaped at him with his eyebrows up, waiting for the moment Arthur would realize exactly how odd he was behaving, but the man didn’t seem a bit regretful. “Right” Merlin said slowly. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You won’t just keep it in mind. You won’t allow any blade near your hair, understood?”  


“Sure!” Merlin answered begrudgingly, slightly astounded by the gratuitous power play.  


“Great” Arthur nodded, pleased. “All right, I’ll talk to Morgana next week about your contract” he added in his business tone. “This way you can join me in more client visits. Most of them prefer to schedule them in the mornings.”  


Merlin shook his head to dispel some of the confusion lingering in his brain and took care of finishing his tart before the ice cream melted.

“So…” Arthur started again, swiveling the content of his glass - he had ordered a sparkling wine so sweet and smooth it could be easily mistaken for soda. “I saw you and that friend of yours, Gili, yesterday” he commented almost casually.  


“Oh, yeah. Well, we were just talking about our Irish origins.”  


“Irish? You?” Arthur inquired suspiciously.  


“No, no, my mom is. I was born in England really. My father was a Londoner.”  


“You mother doesn’t have an accent” Arthur kept staring intently at him for a while longer. “So, are you and _Gili_ …?”  


“No! No, we’re just friends.”  


“Great!” Arthur concluded, looking much more satisfied.  


Which was weird, Merlin thought, after all it should have been implied by Merlin admitting that he was into Arthur \- and just by remembering that scene, Merlin got flushed all over again.

And then it was Merlin’s turn to be worried. What kind of relationship was Arthur used to be in? By the looks of it, he had some kind of a distorted view of friendship - at least in Merlin’s opinion -, if he used to have casual sex with one of his ex-girlfriends. Now he was making sure Merlin wasn’t seeing other people?

  
God, was  _Arthur_ seeing other people? Was he trying to say that he’d continue seeing Elena?  


Merlin reached for his own glass and almost choked on it, trying to swallow it all in one go.

“Are you in a hurry to go somewhere else?” Arthur asked, having witnessed all of it.  


“No. Sorry” Merlin looked down, sheepishly. He was making a fool of himself, really. He tried very hard not to imagine what Arthur was thinking of him right now. Actually, he still wasn’t sure why Arthur hadn’t given up on him yet. First of all, Merlin got smashed at his party; then he came in his pants, passed out and left him unattended; as if it wasn’t enough, he showed up at his place unannounced and made a scene at finding him with someone else; then he cried like a little girl, going as far as drooling all over his chest.  


Now he choked on the wine. And the night was only beginning!

He wasn’t surprised Arthur hadn’t even tried to kiss him yet.

“Can we leave now?” Arthur asked and gestured for the waiter to get him the check while Merlin excused himself to the loo.  


Outside, instead of leading them back to the car, Arthur held Merlin’s hand again - Merlin doubted he’d ever find that trivial - and guided him to a small park across from the restaurant. It was a woodland, well-lit place, with a hiking footpath and a little pond in the middle of the park, with a bridge across it. While they crossed it, Merlin could see a few carps following them expectantly. They stopped in the middle of the bridge, leaning over the rail to look at the pond.

“I’ve never been to this part of London” Merlin confessed, taking a look around. Even thought it was around midnight, the place was pretty busy because of the restaurants and the proximity to the movie theater.  


“It’s been some time since I’ve been here” Arthur was still holding Merlin’s hand securely, their arms touching in all their extension, due to their closeness. Merlin tried not to picture Arthur there, in that very place, with someone else, but it was too late. “There used to be a playground across from those trees” he gestured with his free hand, oblivious to his insecurities. “And I used to think this pond was way bigger. But I guess I was too small, at the time.”  


Merlin breathed out, relieved. “You mean you haven’t eaten Mexican food since you were a kid?” he asked, curious.

  
Arthur huffed looking at both sides of the bridge. “Don’t be stupid,  _Mer_ lin. I ask for delivery.”  


Before Merlin could meet the comment with a sarcastic one, though, Arthur let go of his hand, turning him around until the base of Merlin’s spine hit the rail. Then he put his arms at each side of the railing, trapping Merlin between them, even though he kept some distance between their bodies.

“Do you have any idea of how much I want to kiss you?” Arthur asked almost aggressively, staring at Merlin’s lips, his own face so close Merlin had to lean backwards to focus his vision of the man.  


“R-Really?” Merlin stuttered, completely disoriented.  


“At the restaurant, when you licked your lips? That was just cruel, Merlin. At the theater? I honestly can’t understand what was so interesting in that movie for you to ignore me _for the entire movie_! The lead actor must’ve been much more interesting than me, I presume. Back in the car, when I picked you up? _Christ_ , Merlin, I should forbid you to wear these jeans. In fact, do you know since when I want to suck face with you? Since day one, when Gwaine opened my eyes to _how perfectly kissable your lips are!”_  


Merlin’s breathing had sped up so quickly his head suddenly felt weightless and he had to support his body’s weight on the rail not to lose his balance. In that very moment, Merlin regretted putting those jeans on, since they became even tighter than they were before. The way Arthur had said those words, his voice low and dangerous, caused Merlin’s whole body to react, shivering in anticipation. “What are you waiting for, then?” Merlin asked, his voice shaken. “A written invita-”

Merlin’s teasing was interrupted by Arthur’s lips over his. Merlin met him enthusiastically, allowing him to lead the kiss just like the last time and held Arthur’s shoulders within his arms, keeping him from backing off. Making out with Arthur was even better than Merlin remembered. Arthur was demanding, resolute and so sure of what he did, Merlin didn’t have the time to worry about if he was doing it right, merely responding to what he asked of him without a single word being uttered.

Encouraged by Merlin’s response, Arthur leaned entirely against him, pressing him to the railing, his arms wrapping around Merlin’s waist, his hands exploring the end of his spine. Merlin, in his turn, ran his hands through Arthur’s nape, his shoulders and back muscles, marveling at their firmness as they moved under his fingers. At some point, Arthur had slipped his tongue into Merlin’s mouth in an invitation and Merlin fitted his mouth to Arthur’s, delighted by the sensuality of the sliding and tangling of their tongues.

Merlin tried to push his own hip into Arthur’s, seeking for some friction, but Arthur grunted and held him in place, making Merlin whimper. He was so desperate for relief he didn’t care who could be watching them. But then, even though he knew Arthur to be as affected as he was, he could understand his reluctance. Arthur clearly thought Merlin had no self-control after his birthday party, but Merlin didn’t want him to restrain himself thinking he’d come in his pants every time they snogged, even though Merlin knew it to be a strong possibility.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed when Arthur leaned back just enough for him to catch his breath. Eager, Merlin searched for his lips again and Arthur gave in for a moment, but backed off once again. “Merlin” Arthur panted, holding his shoulders and touching their foreheads. “Easy, Merlin. Let’s just… take it easy.”

Merlin bit his lower lip, mourning the loss of connection, still unwilling to open his eyes. Arthur rubbed his thumb over Merlin’s lip, releasing his hold on him, and only then did Merlin look up, leaning back a few inches to assess him. Arthur had his face colored, his hair slightly askew, his eyes dark and shinning and his lips swollen. Merlin held the man’s hand, bringing it to his face and kissing his palm, taking all the contact he could get and fearing the moment Arthur would step away.

“Fuck” Arthur cursed under his breath, reaching up to kiss his front and backing off, despite Merlin’s protests to the contrary. “Come on, Merlin” Arthur held his hand once again, pulling him back to the car. “I’ll take you back home.”  


“Wait. My home?” Merlin came to halt, forcing Arthur to stop and face him. “Why?”  


“Because it’s late. What would your mother say if I dropped you off in the dead of the night on our first date?”  


“Oh” Merlin swallowed dry, letting go of his hand and looking away.  


“You’ve told your mother, haven't you?” Arthur took a step closer to him.  


“Er. Not exactly. I mean, I’m of age, Arthur. I don’t need to give my mother an explination of everything I do” he said in the most dignified way he could.  


Arthur squinted. “Merlin.”

“I might’ve implied we wouldn’t be alone” Merlin admitted.  


Arthur held his face in place, forcing him to meet his eyes. “What exactly did you tell her?”

“I told her we’d go out with the guys from work” Merlin got free of his hold and stepped from one foot to the other. “And that, if it got too late, I’d probably crash at yours.”  


Arthur kept quiet for a bit, his breathing still ragged and Merlin wished he could know what was going on his mind. His frowned face wasn’t a good sign, though. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because I didn’t know what to say!” Merlin confessed. “I mean, you didn’t make it that clear if this was going to be a _date_ date.”  


“Have I made myself clear enough now?” Arthur said ironically.  


“Yes, but… I’m not sure what she’d say if she knew we were going out” Merlin said in an apologizing tone. “And not just her. Arthur… You know I won’t be able to continue being your intern if everybody gets to know about this…”  


Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but ended up noisily releasing the air from his lungs, running his hand through his hair and walking from one side to the other. “Alright, maybe you’re right. But I didn’t think you wouldn’t tell your own mother!”

“Hey, it’s not like I want to keep it from her, alright?” Merlin said defensively. “Nor anyone else, really. But I can’t see any other option, unless I ask to be relocated to another division.”  


Arthur stopped to gape at him. “Do you want to ask for relocation?”

“No!” Merlin exasperated. “I don’t want to ask for it. But I don’t want for people to judge us because of our work relation either.”  


He wasn’t being entirely true, though. What really troubled him was what the gossips could do to Arthur’s reputation, both in and outside work. Even if Merlin got send in  another division, he doubted it’d stop people from accusing Arthur of taking advantage of him. Even his mother could question Arthur’s intentions and Merlin didn’t want her to think less of him because of that.

Arthur didn’t look happy with the perspective, though. Merlin could guess it by the way he kept pushing his jaw forth and back again, flexing his facial muscles, which meant he was debating with himself the pros and cons of all that.

“I don’t want to lose you” Arthur said in the end. “I couldn't stand it if you'd fall into Cenred’s hands, for instance. Or anyone else, really” he snarled and Merlin flinched, even though he knew that anger wasn’t targeted at him. “But I’m not sure about this keeping secret thing either” he reached for Merlin, grabbing at his shoulders. “You’re mine, Merlin. Mine.”  


“Yes I am” Merlin nodded vigorously, his body heating up all over again.  


That seemed to placate Arthur a bit. “Right. Let’s keep it secret. For now.”

“Alright. Are you gonna take me to your place now?”  


“Jesus, Merlin!” Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if praying for patience. “Don’t you think for a moment this has been easy, but I don’t want to rush things!”  


“But I don’t want to wait anymore” Merlin said indignantly. “I’ve waited eighteen years, y’now?”  


Arthur laughed a bit nervously, throwing his head back before staring at him again, examining him intently. Merlin endured the scrutiny bravely until Arthur cursed once more, kissing him, bringing him closer nearly desperately. Merlin felt his erection poking him on the hips and whined.

Arthur stilled suddenly, leaning back to face him. “Are you trying to drive me crazy, Merlin?”

“I’m sorry” Merlin answered reflexively and Arthur mumbled something unintelligible before stepping away, pulling him by the arm.  


“I’ll take you to _my_ home now, Merlin.”  


“Yes, please!”  


.M.

The drive back to his place was pure torture. Arthur didn’t mean to give in that quickly to Merlin’s request. He had everything planned out for them not to be left alone, so that Arthur could resist the temptation to lick, suck and grab. He wished he had been more fierce and convinced Merlin to be patient, but all it took was a glance at the boy’s face - the expectation clear by the way he kept his eyes wide open and his lips moistened every time Arthur eyes lowered to them - for Arthur to lose whatever trace of sanity he’d had before and step harder on the gas.

When they arrived at his place, the door had barely closed behind them when Arthur pulled Merlin flush to his own body. Merlin molded to him instantly, responsive to his advances just like the other times. That submission, whilst acting like a fuel to Arthur’s libido, was also frightening, because a power like that shouldn’t come without responsibilities and Arthur wasn’t in his right mind at the moment.

Arthur pushed him against the nearest pillar and breathed into his mouth, shoving one leg between his, his hands groping at his thighs. “Look what you do to me, Merlin” Arthur humped at his leg and Merlin swallowed audibly, his breathing erratic. “Now what should I do to you? Should I finish you right here and now?” he brought his hand to the front of Merlin’s pants, pressing his palm to his erection. “Should I throw you to the couch first?” he slipped his hand under Merlin’s shirt, caressing his stomach and reveling in the way his muscles flexed, responsive to his touch. “Or should I take you to my bed instead?” he allowed his other hand to slide down Merlin’s back and squeezed his buttock.

“Your bed” Merlin mumbled eagerly. “Take me to your bed.”  


“Fuck, Merlin” Arthur nuzzled at Merlin’s neck, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Leaving Merlin no chance to protest, he backed off and pulled him away from the wall, pushing him towards the stairs next. “Up. Now.”  


Merlin complied, walking ahead somewhat shaky with Arthur trailing after him, hands hooked on his belt loops at each side of his hips, eyes glued to their movement as Merlin walked up the steps. When they reached the bedroom, Arthur pulled him closer, breathing at his nape, hands bringing their hips together. Merlin moaned his name and the sound made Arthur’s cock twitch into Merlin’s ass. Arthur tugged at his jaw, turning his face sideways so that he could snog him, breaking the kiss only to remove his shirt.

Arthur kissed a line down the side of Merlin’s neck and lightly scratched the skin of his shoulders with his teeth while his hands explored Merlin’s chest and stomach freely before meeting the waistband of his jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping it unhurriedly.

When he shoved his hand inside Merlin’s briefs, freeing his penis, Merlin gasped and threw his head back, looking lost for a moment between pushing his hips forward to Arthur’s hand or backwards, to Arthur’s body.

“Spit” Arthur commanded, raising his right hand to Merlin’s mouth, who obeyed after a short faltering.  


Arthur spread the saliva over Merlin’s glans to smoothen the slide of his hand and nibbled at the space in between his shoulder blades, causing Merlin to moan again.

“Yes, Merlin” Arthur whispered into his ear, using his free hand to push Merlin’s jeans further down, wrapping his fingers at his testicles and fondling them lazily while still stimulating him with the other. “Don’t hold back, ok?”  


“Ouch” Merlin wailed, pulling slightly away from his touch.  


“What is it?” Arthur asked, stilling his hands in concern.  


“Too much pressure on my balls” Merlin said timidly.  


“Oh, sorry” Arthur said, embarrassed.  


He chose to caress the inside of Merlin’s tight lightly, instead.

“Arthur… I won’t last if you… keep this up” Merlin warned some time later, his breathing short and shallow.  


“Don’t hold back” Arthur repeated and sped up the slide of his hand causing Merlin to pant as his cock pulsed and he spilled his seed all over Arthur’s hand. “Yes, that’s good. You did great” Arthur approved, watching as the hair on the back of Merlin’s head stood up at the feel of his breath and held him tight when Merlin’s knees threatened to give out, taking the opportunity to get hold of himself. “Very well. Let’s take your pants off now.”  


Arthur let go of him slowly after making sure he could stand on his own and wiped his hand on his jeans before turning Merlin around and kneeling in front of him to help him get his shoes off. After a brief hesitation, Merlin put his hands on Arthur’s shoulders to steady himself and raised one foot after the other, allowing Arthur to remove his pants and socks, Arthur looked up and reveled in the sight of Merlin completely naked, arms stretched alongside his body as if he didn’t know what to do with them. While they stared at each other, Merlin blushed from neck to hairline, but his penis remained half-hard and Arthur licked his lips at seeing it, suddenly apprehensive. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to taste it. As if sensing Arthur’s stare, it twitched, threatening to fill up again.

Arthur regarded Merlin with a crooked, smug grin. “Already?” he marveled and Merlin looked away, moving his hands to cover himself, but Arthur held his wrists and motioned to the bad with his head. “Lay down.”

“Aren’t you gonna take your clothes off?” Merlin sounded uncertain and Arthur sustained his eyes before shaking his head from side to side.  


“Not yet, no. Now get on the bed.”  


With a shudder, Merlin complied, crawling to the middle of the bed - Arthur took the opportunity to adjust himself in his pants, easing a bit of the discomfort of his clothes. Merlin lay down on his back, his chest heaving as he faced Arthur with clear anticipation. Arthur took a deep breath before taking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed, hovering over Merlin on all fours, kissing his deliciously inviting lips. Merlin poked him tentatively with the tip of his tongue and Arthur chuckled before adding his own tongue to the equation. Merlin threw one of his arms around his neck and placed the other at his waist, pulling him down at him, but Arthur resisted. However much he craved the touch, he wouldn’t last long if he gave in and he had other plans at the moment.

“I want to lick you all over, Merlin” Arthur whispered into Merlin’s ear. “I want to kiss every little bit of your body. I want to make you moan and squirm. Do you want me to?”  


“Yes!” Merlin nodded eagerly.  


Arthur kissed, licked and sucked all of the skin on Merlin’s torso, paying particular attention to his nipples and the sides of his body, next to his armpits, where he was more responsive. When he reached Merlin’s erection, lying heavily over his stomach, his mere breathing caused Merlin to moan and writhe tantalizingly.

“You look just delectable, Merlin” Arthur got settled between his legs to get better access to him.  


Despite never having done that before, Arthur had been on the receiving end of a blow job so many times he didn’t feel insecure in the slightest about what to do. Besides, Merlin was so sensitive Arthur knew it wouldn’t require much skill for him to make Merlin come, anyway. Arthur licked all his length, from the base do the head, feeling his pulse under his tongue. When he looked up, Merlin had thrown one arm over his eyes as if the mere sensation was too much to his senses without him having to watch too.

“Don’t hold back, Merlin” Arthur instructed again before holding him in place and enveloping him with his lips. That’s when he realized he could use a bit more of technique along with enthusiasm, if he wanted to do it right. Even though Merlin’s penis wasn’t that big - Arthur’d risk saying he was slightly shorter than average - that didn’t stop the blond from choking when the boy’s glans touched his throat. Arthur decided then to take him as far as was confortable and used more tongue on it.  


Merlin whined, squirming restlessly and Arthur held his hip firm against the mattress to keep him from pushing further into his mouth, staying in control. Arthur backed off, stopping a little short from releasing him, exploring only the smooth, tender skin of the head with his tongue, tasting the light bitterness of his pre-come before swallowing him almost to the root again.

“Arthur” Merlin gasped, bringing one hand to Arthur’s hair and pushing him down, his hips trying to push up. “Please…”  


Arthur simply grunted and bobbed his head again and again, increasingly fast, allowing the spit to pool inside his mouth. Whilst still supporting his weight with one of his hands, he used the other to cup Merlin’s balls and hold the base of his penis at the same time.

“A-Arthur” this time Merlin’s shout sounded like a warning, his hands pulling tight at his hair, but Arthur ignored him, continuing until the throbbing of the veins under his lips became stronger and he flattened his tongue to take his hot and bitter come, pumping him with his hand until Merlin sobbed, relaxing completely into the mattress.  


Arthur released him and resisted the impulse to swallow, taking his shirt off and spitting in it before tossing it to the floor. He lay down beside Merlin then, supporting his head with a bend arm, watching as he recovered. The thought that Merlin had never done something like that with anyone made Arthur hum in appreciation. The thought that he made Merlin come three times until then was inebriating. Arthur suspected he’d never stop counting. He was the first to see Merlin so exposed like that, languidly sprawled out in bed, exhausted and thoroughly pleased and he swore to himself he’d never allow any other man to witness that, if he could help it.

Then the realization of what he’d just done hit him like a train and Arthur swallowed dry, feeling his stomach sink. What was he thinking? Merlin didn’t deserve that, having to keep his first relationship secret like that, like it was something shameful and wrong. And who was to say it wasn’t wrong? Merlin’s mother would probably be the first to point out how twisted it was and the responsibility was all on Arthur’s shoulders, the older, more experienced and more influent of them both.

Oblivious to his concerns, Merlin stretched his muscled, turning around to mirror Arthur’s pose, his eyes lingering on the man naked chest for a bit. “Are you gonna fuck me now?” Merlin asked.

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut trying to regain control over his mind after the mental image caused by those words. “No, Merlin. Not tonight” he opened his eyes again and watched as Merlin’s face fell.

“Why?” More then crossed, Merlin sounded uneasy and hurt. “You don’t want to?”  


“Fucking hell, Merlin” Arthur cursed and pulled him until Merlin was lying across his chest. “Don’t look at me like that!”  


“So why do I get all the fun?  


“I don’t think I can last, if you know what I mean” Arthur lied, unwilling to voice his real worries.  


That seemed to ease some of the creases on Merlin’s forehead, but not all of them. “Can I suck you then?” he offered.

Arthur swallowed. “You don’t have to.”

“Oh, come _on_ , Arthur!”  


“Merlin, I mean it when I say I’m about to explode. All it’d take is for you to touch me-”  


“But I’d like to try! Can I?” Merlin cut him off, unsure and annoyed at the same time. “I mean, you’d have to keep in mind that I’ve never done it before, but…” he trailed off.  


“Merlin” Arthur had to restrain himself from shaking him. “This, here? This is new to me also, okay? I’ve never been with a man before.”  


“Ever?” Merlin’s eyebrow rose in surprise.  


“You’re my first too.”  


“Oh…”  


Arthur held Merlin’s chin with his thumb and index finger, pulling him in for a kiss, sensing all the remains of his resolve slipping through his fingers. “You can do whatever you want to” he whispered to Merlin’s lips, earning a curt nod in reply.

  
Merlin started by sitting down on his heels and unbuttoning Arthur’s jeans. Arthur lifted his hips to make it easy for the boy to undress him completely. Them Merlin released the air from his lungs while studying his whole body, first only with his eyes, then with his exploring hands. “God, Arthur, you’re so  _big_ ” he bit his lower lip, his eyes round, and Arthur couldn’t stop the smug grin from showing on his face.  


Merlin slid his hands through Arthur’s muscular arms, squeezing his biceps reverently, then continued the movement through his chest and abs before finally holding his cock, measuring it up, examining it closely and Arthur allowed to be scrutinized and worshiped even though he was getting a little desperate for release.

When Merlin lowered his face and licked at his testicles first of all, Arthur grunted and cursed.

“Have I done something wrong?” Merlin asked, startled, and Arthur shouldn’t have been so surprised at seeing he was getting hard again - after all, he was a teenager _and_ a virgin.  


“No, nothing wrong, no. Just… keep going, I’d appreciate if you grabbed a little more tightly- _Yes!_ Just like that. That’s perfect. Go ahead.”  


Merlin chuckled nervously and resumed licking him as he stroked his length, making Arthur’s toes curl with pleasure. When Merlin finally took him in his mouth, Arthur couldn’t help thinking Merlin was much better at it than him, even though he had no previous experience. Arthur’s breathing was trembling with the effort to keep from thrusting his hips up, dictating the rhythm. Instead, he buried one hand in the sheets and the other in Merlin’s hair, inciting him with encouraging words.

Merlin’s pert tongue teased him for a moment before wrapping his lips delightfully close around his cock again and bobbing his head. The sounds that came out of his throat caused tiny vibrations and when Arthur looked down at him and realized Merlin was touching himself again, he felt the tightening of his balls and held Merlin’s shoulders. “Merlin- Merlin, wait” he called, making the boy look up, eyes slightly unfocussed, wiping the saliva running down his chin with the back of his hand. “Come here.”

He pulled Merlin until he lined up above Arthur and they kissed again. Arthur put one hand between them and held their erections together, Merlin’s spit smoothing the way as he moved it. Merlin thrust his hips into Arthur’s grip and this time Arthur didn’t stop his orgasm, spilling his come at his own hand and stomach. Arthur broke the kiss to wet his hand in his own come and resumed stroking Merlin.

“Arthur, I’m not sure I can come aga-” Merlin started to say, but cut himself short when Arthur reached around his butt and touched lightly in between his cheeks. “Oh God.”  


“Tell me if it gets uncomfortable” Arthur said and Merlin merely shook his head, eyes closed and frowning in deep concentration.  


Arthur smirked and enjoyed the view, encouraging him to move until he came again - for the fourth time - with a raptured cry, collapsing over Arthur soon after.

They kept still for a moment focusing solely on catching their breaths. Arthur caressed Merlin’s hair with his clean hand, marveling at the heat and the weight of the body above his. When Merlin’s breathing became even and he didn’t make a move to get off him, Arthur called him, whispering gently into his ear.

Merlin grunted and took his time to move, but ended up letting Arthur roll him over to the other side of the mattress, turning his face away. Arthur smiled to himself, propping himself up to grab some tissues at the nightstand to clean himself up. When he leaned over Merlin to clean him, the boy mumbled something and curled up into a ball, preventing him from reaching his groin.

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone” Arthur whispered and kissed his temple, where the hair was stuck to his sweaty forehead. “You’ll be the one sticky in the morning, anyway.”  


After preparing to sleep, washing and dressing into his pajama pants, Arthur threw a blanket over the both of them and turned the lights out from the switch over the bed, but kept staring at Merlin’s outline in the semidarkness for a while, unable to fall sleep.

Merlin was right, they’d have to keep it secret for now. Not to prevent people from judging them, like Merlin reasoned, but because Arthur doubted that switching Merlin from divisions would solve anything, even if he was the least bit inclined to allow such a thing to happen. If that came to Uther’s ears - and it’d certainly come if they weren’t to keep a low profile -, Arthur suspected Merlin’d have his contract permanently terminated regardless. God, probably even Morgana would make it happen and Arthur wouldn’t even be able to argue about the wisdom of her decision. After all, Arthur knew Merlin would never deliberately jeopardize his career, but he couldn’t make any plausible guarantees to his sister.

It was sure to go horribly wrong. No matter how well aware he was about that, though, Arthur knew there was no going back now.

.Merlin.

Merlin woke up with the creaking of a door opening and turned his face to watch as Arthur left the bathroom dressing in shorts and t-shirt.

“It’s too early” Arthur said at seeing him awake, sitting on the edge of the mattress to put his running shoes on. “You can go back to sleep if you’d like.”  


Merlin stretched, feeling the tug of hair on his stomach and blushed as he remembered the reason for that. “What time’s it?” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Seven-thirty” Arthur stood up again and stared at his own reflex in the wall mirror, fixing his hair. “Any special order for breakfast?”  


“Um. Anything, really” Merlin sat down, careful for the sheets not to fall off his lap. “You don’t have to go out to get anything.”  


“And who said I’m going out because of you?” he cocked an eyebrow. “I’m going for a jog.”  


“Really? At this hour? On a sunday?” Merlin couldn’t fathom what could possibly lead a person to do such a thing.  


“You think it’s easy to keep this up?” Arthur asked, pointing to his own body. “I mean, of course you don’t, being as-” he lowered his eyes to Merlin’s chest as he spoke and frowned. He didn’t sound as sure as he’d started when finishing his sentence, though: “-skinny as… as you are” he cleared his throat in the end.  


Merlin clung to the sheets, bringing it to cover his chest and averting his eyes.

“Make yourself at home” Arthur changed the subject, walking to the door and opening it. “I left a clean towel and a new toothbrush over the sink. I won’t be long” he left before Merlin could say anything.  


  
Merlin fell back to the bed with a huff, thinking himself the most inane person of the entire human race. Were the ‘mornings after’ always this awkward? Merlin had fantasized countless times to wake up beside Arthur, picturing the sexiest possible outcomes: Arthur waking him with kisses or with his erection pressed between Merlin’s buttocks or with a blow job - better yet, Merlin waking Arthur with a blow job, even though Merlin couldn’t imagine that happening so soon. But Arthur had acted the most natural way, like he was used to waking up with  familiar people in his bed.  


Damn, why did relationships have to be so complicated? Or was it Merlin who was complicating things? Should he act like nothing extraordinary had happened? Like he hadn’t spent the night with Arthur Pendragon?

Merlin moaned, burying his face in the pillows, trying not to get hard again just by remembering last night’s events. Maybe he hadn’t completely lost his virginity as he wished for, but he had had oral sex, so he definitely didn’t fit in the virgin box anymore, did he? He pictured himself asking Gwaine that very question and laughed at his own stupidity.

Well, that’d have to do for now. It was more than Arthur had planned to happen, judging by how he’d been reluctant to bring Merlin to his place, last night.

God, Merlin had pretty much begged Arthur to take him to bed! Arthur probably thought him some kind of desperate cock-starving slut, by now.

“Way to go, Merlin” he mumbled into the pillow. No wonder Arthur had treated him so coldly now. He was probably just hinting at him to get a grip on himself.  


Thoroughly mortified by his own actions, Merlin got to his feet and collected his clothes from the floor, locking himself inside the bathroom before Arthur came back and found him still naked in his bed. He took a quick shower, ran Arthur’s comb through his wet hair and brushed his teeth, putting last night’s clothes back on, minus the briefs, which he stuffed in his back pocket. If he kept that up, he’d have to walk around with an extra pair of pants.

When he came down the stairs, Arthur had just arrived with a bag from the same cafeteria he’d bought the donuts last time, as well as two thermal cups. “Why are you up already?” he asked as soon as he spotted Merlin.

“Couldn’t go back to sleep” Merlin ruffled his recently combed hair and walked up to the balcony.  


“Cappuccino?” Arthur offered, placing one of the cups in front of him.  


“Thanks” Merlin tried to disguise his surprise at seen how Arthur had noticed his regular order at Starbucks.  


Arthur took some waffles out of the bag, grabbed the syrup from one of the shelves and some butter from the fridge, lining it all up the balcony.

“How about you fix some bacon and eggs while I take care of these waffles?” Arthur offered.  


Merlin rolled his eyes at him, but complied anyway, taking his cappuccino as he neared the cooktop.

Instead of setting the dinner table, Arthur placed a couple of plates at the living room’s center table, turning the TV on. They had breakfast with the dishes on their laps while watching old episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

“Do you want me to take you home now?” Arthur asked when they finished eating. “Or do you want to play some videogame first?”  


Merlin chose playing, since he didn’t have much to do back home and wasn’t keen on going to Will’s play Fifa again. Despite the weird atmosphere between them, at least Arthur let him choose the games. Merlin picked Mortal Combat to vent some of his frustration out, but before long Arthur declared Merlin was losing on purpose. He insisted they switched controls in the middle of a fight were Arthur was wining, but somehow Merlin managed to be beaten anyway.

“Merlin, is there anything you’re actually capable of doing?”  


“Putting up with you” Merlin retorted right away, causing Arthur to gape at him, momentarily bewildered, before hitting him with a pillow. Merlin shrieked and tried to defend himself from the attack, but ended up cornered at the sofa with Arthur on top of him.  


“Am I that insufferable, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur held Merlin’s hands above his head and kneeled on the sofa cushions, forcing Merlin to spread his legs to accommodate him between them to avoid having them crushed against his chest.  


“Yes you are” Merlin insisted, unfazed. “I only do it because, you know… I need the money.”  


“Oh, really?” Arthur asked, nuzzling Merlin’s collarbone.  


“And, of course, because you’d bully me if I didn’t” Merlin kept talking, turning to the side to give him better access.  


“Bully you?” Arthur sucked lightly at his neck and then licked at the offended spot.  


“You bully me all the time.”  


“Shut up, Merlin” Arthur bit gently at his shoulder.  


“I haven’t forgotten that time with the spoon. I could report you for that, you know? The mark wouldn’t fade for days…”  


“I’ll leave you some more marks so that you can have a good reason to report me for” Arthur stated before kissing him and Merlin tried not to melt at it, bringing him closer with his legs, since Arthur refused to let go of his hands.  


“You said you wanted to make out with me since the first time you saw me?” Merlin said while Arthur trailed kisses down his chin and throat.  


“Did I?” Arthur’s voice sounded slightly husky, as he backed off to stare at Merlin with a cocked eyebrow.  


“Yesterday. On that bridge.”  


Arthur shrugged, staring at Merlin’s lips in such a way that made Merlin wet them instinctively, preparing them to Arthur’s assault. “Maybe” Arthur ducked down to kiss him again, sucking eagerly at Merlin’s lower lip and Merlin moaned as he felt Arthur’s erection poking at his inner thigh.

Before Merlin could get too excited about it and start rubbing down at him, though, Arthur pulled away with one last peck, leaving a flushed and breathless Merlin behind as he took the dishes to the kitchen. Merlin hurriedly pulled himself together and turned the game off, joining Arthur in the kitchen.

“I think I’d better get going” Merlin said, defeated.  


“I’ll drive you” Arthur stated and finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher withoug hesitation. He didn't even bother to look up and Merlin tried not to feel hurt by the way Arthur didn’t even try to convince him to stay longer. “Give me a second.”  


The drive back home was quiet, except for the radio. When Arthur parked in front of Merlin’s building and turned the engine off, Merlin frowned at him, unbuckling the seatbelt.

“I hate to say it” Arthur started gravely and Merlin’s heart stopped for a second. “But maybe it’s for the best if we don’t tell anyone, for now.”  


“Oh. Sure” Merlin nodded, releasing the air from his lungs. Arthur had a serious crease to his brow which could mean he was worried, but it was hard to tell, since he had his sunglasses on. “No problem. I don’t mind” Merlin assured and Arthur sighed, even though he didn’t seem that convinced. “Er… Thanks for the ride. And dinner. And... everything.”  


Arthur snorted. “Always a pleasure” he smirked. “Next time, you choose were to go. I don’t think I want to try the moviesagain” he finished with a disdaining frown of his upper lip.

“Alright” Merlin was still quite bemused by the fact that there would be a next time and that _maybe_ he hadn’t fucked it all up, in the end. “Um” he opened the door to leave, looking away from him. “See you tomorrow.”  


When Merlin entered his apartment, his mother had the sewing-machine running, making new pillowcases to the sofa cushions. She only noticed his arrival when Merlin threw the keys on the kitchen table.

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d come home in time for lunch” Hunith turned the machine off and removed her reading glasses. “Do you want me to fix you something to eat?”  


“No need. I’ve already had breakfast” Merlin said, placing a hand over the spot where Arthur had sucked his neck earlier, in case he’d left a mark there.  


“Did Arthur bring you home?” she asked and Merlin couldn’t tell when Arthur had stopped being Mr. Pendragon to her. “Didn’t he want to come in?”  


“Oh, he had… stuff to do” Merlin sneaked a longing look to the corridor, imagining if he could get away saying he needed to sleep some more, since he didn’t have the studying excuse anymore.  


“Pity” she said, putting her glasses back on and examining her work. “It’s very kind of him to take care of you like this. He’s a very responsible man.”  


“Indeed” Merlin tried not to blush as he remembered just how Arthur had ‘taken care’ of him last night. “Um…” he began, but Hunith cut him off again.  


“If you’re going to take a shower, leave your clothes outside. I’m doing laundry when I’m finished here” she turned the machine on again before Merlin could answer.  


With a sigh, Merlin left for the corridor, resigned to take another shower just so he didn’t risk raising his mother’s suspicion.

.Merlin.


	14. Part 2 - Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you **RydiaAsuka** for the superfast, meticulous betaing!

**Chapter 13**

**23th week**

“Good morning, Ms. Wust,” Arthur saluted the receptionist as he arrived, making the woman’s eyes widen.

Across the room, Leon came to a halt with the same shocked face.

“Call Mr. Stewart, please,” Arthur addressed Ms. Wust, ignoring his friend's exaggerated astonishment.

“Y-Yes, Mr. Pendragon!” she stuttered. “And good morning to you, too!”

Arthur noted Leon exchanging a look with Gwen, prompting him to address Leon next, “Anything wrong?”

Gwen quickly looked away, and Leon shook his head, resuming his walk towards his boss and clapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing’s wrong! It’s just… good to see you in such a great mood on a Monday morning!”

“I’m not in a great mood,” Arthur said, making a point of frowning while motioning for Leon to walk with him towards his office. “I have a full schedule today, and I plan to get started at once. By the way, you can start by filling me in on this week’s appointments.”

They talked about work for a while, only stopping briefly when Beatrice patched the requested call through. When Leon left, Gwaine was just arriving and Arthur watched warily as they exchanged a few hushed words before Gwaine strode up to Arthur with a broad smile.

“So, Princess,” Gwaine took a seat, uninvited, “I was thinking—”

“Always a bad thing for you to do,” Arthur said, turning his attention back to the computer screen.

“—that I’ve had my fair share of helping the HR Division, and one of Morgana’s staffer should be back from maternity leave in a couple of weeks. Don’t you think it’s time for you to bring me back already?”

“No, I don’t,” Arthur answered readily.

Gwaine huffed, but shrugged anyway. “Alright, it was worth a try. Leon _did_ say you were in a great mood.”

“I was,” Arthur emphasized, “up to the point when you showed up.”

“Nonsense,” Gwaine waved the comment away. “So, have you talked to Merlin recently?”

“Is that any of your business?”

“Well, considering that he came asking for my advice about you last Friday, then, yes, it is.”

At those words, Arthur fixed his stare back at Gwaine, folding his arms. “Merlin wouldn’t be stupid enough to ask for _your_ advice, of all people.”

“You might not like it, but Merlin and I _are_ friends, you know? As well as you and me. And I only wish my friends the best. But you don’t have to answer to my question. From what Leon just told me, I don’t think you’d be in such high spirits if you hadn’t talked things through. The real question here, then, is…did you guys _just_ talk?”

“Gwaine,” Arthur pinched his nose bridge, “I don’t have time for this right now. Therefore, if you don’t wish to ruin my mood any further…”

“Alright, I just thought I should give you a chance to talking to me first,” he got to his feet. “But don’t worry, I can ask Merlin when he turns up—”

“Gwaine!”

“Yes, Arthur?” Gwaine blinked almost angelically.

“Sit down,” Arthur said through gritted teeth.

“Why, always so polite,” Gwaine got back to his chair with a pleased grin. “You were saying?”

“You do recall that talk we had last week, right?”

“About keeping my mouth shut if I intent to keep my balls?” Gwaine offered.

“ _And_ you job.”

“Sure, sure,” Gwaine rolled his eyes. “I remember perfectly. You mean something happened, right?”

“And why would you—?” Arthur pressed the bridge of his nose again, praying for patience. “You do realize you won’t be able to collect any pool money without telling the other guys, don't you? And you can’t tell anyone, ergo no pool money!”

Gwaine considered it for a moment. “On the off chance that I had up set a pool about that,” he started. “I’d only be able to collect money if something really happened, which means you _are_ together!” He snapped his fingers, “Ah-ha! I knew it!” and then he wilted like a leaky balloon. “Dammit, Arthur! You’d really keep it from the guys? They’re our friends!”

“You promised, Gwaine” Arthur warned, and Gwaine slumped, defeated.

“Okay, fine. I won’t tell anyone. Just for the record, though - I promise I didn’t bet about this, but...how far did you guys go?”

Arthur’s face became grim all of a sudden. “Do you see me asking this kind of question ~~s~~ about you and Percy?”

“By all means, I can tell you everything first handed!” Gwaine flashed his teeth in a shark grin. “I never thought Percy could be so skilled with his tong—”

“Out, Gwaine! Now!”

Gwaine left in a hurry, laughing his ass off, and Arthur couldn’t concentrate on his work for a very long time after he was gone.

.M.

As soon as Merlin set foot on the company’s building, he came to a halt at seeing Gwaine bent over the reception counter, shamelessly flirting with the poor girl. Merlin gave an assessing look in the elevator's direction, trying to guess how many steps it’d take for him to get there, while calculating the odds of making it by either going really slowly and carefully, so as not to draw Gwaine's attention, or by breaking into a run.

He never got to find out, though, for Gwaine spotted him before he could make up his mind. “Merlin!” he straightened up, grinning. “What a pleasant coincidence, meeting you here at this time of day!”

Merlin snorted. “Sure. Why would I be here precisely at my arrival time, right?”

“Why, you don’t have to pretend you’re not glad to see me. I know you are,” Gwaine bid farewell to the receptionist and caught up with Merlin, throwing one arm over his shoulders as they walked towards the lift. “I haven’t heard from you the whole weekend! What happened?”

“Oh, nothing interesting,” Merlin shrugged.

“I see,” Gwaine nodded and followed him into the elevator. When the door closed, though, he smirked. “By the way, you know you can count on me again whenever you need, don’t you?” He winked.

“What?” Merlin asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you and the Princess, of course. Arthur told me everything.”

“ _What?_ ” Merlin’s eyes threatened to pop out of its sockets.

“You heard it. He told me everything.”

“He wouldn’t—” Merlin started to deny, but Gwaine cut him off.

“There’s no need for you to blush like a virgin schoolgirl, ‘cause we both know that doesn’t apply to you anymore.”

Merlin closed his mouth, feeling himself blush to the tip of his ears, his eyes still widened with incredulity. He couldn’t believe Arthur had told Gwaine, of all people, what they did! He would never do that! Or would he?

But then Gwaine cursed and covered his mouth with his hands. “Fuck, you really did it!”

“Gwaine!” Merlin felt outraged as soon as he realized his friend had been fishing for sordid bits, and Merlin had played right into it. “How. Could. You!” he punctuated each word with a punch to Gwaine’s arm.

Gwaine dodged, laughing. “Hey, hey, easy there…”

The lift stopped at that moment and Merlin held the door open with an outstretched arm. “You know Arthur’ll bite your head off if you flap your mouth, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, he made sure to remind me of that, today.”

“Great,” Merlin said, “because if he doesn’t, I’ll do it! And it’s nothing like that; we didn’t do _it_.—well, technically we _slept_ together, but… Oh, you know what? It's none of your business.”

“Why, Merlin,” Gwaine started, but Merlin turned his back on him, stomping down the corridor. “Merlin, wait!”

“And I’ll have you know I’m officially removing you from the post of best friend and naming… Lance, instead!” Merlin stated, before getting into the CRM’s room, knowing that Gwaine wouldn’t be foolish enough to follow him there with Arthur watching them closely.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Merlin breathed in and out to calm down before greeting his colleagues with his usual smile, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. As if he hadn’t spent the weekend with his supervisor, and now had to face him without a clue of what to expect.

Merlin knocked on the glass door before stepping inside. “Hey,” he started, but was immediately interrupted.

“You’re late,” Arthur pointed to his watch.

Merlin’s smile became a thin, tense line. If he had had any worries about the weekend’s events changing their work relation on some level, he could now rest assured that wasn’t the case.

“It’s exactly,” Merlin checked his own watch, “ten past one. Ten minutes is precisely the time it takes for me to stop by Starbucks and grab your tea,” Merlin placed the bag on the table, taking Arthur’s cup out, “as usual!”

“Yes, but you’re on break now. You could’ve left your home _ten minutes earlier_!”

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. “Sometimes, there’s just no pleasing you,” he grumbled eventually, grabbing the bag. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

Arthur seemed slightly taken aback by his lack of argument, but recovered quickly. “I have a meeting with Alator Zinke's team today at three o'clock, and I want you to join me,” Arthur said, suddenly all business. “I emailed you a report, and I want you to read it before we go, in case your opinion is asked for. First and foremost, though, I need you to retrieve some old files for me,” he handed Merlin a short list.

Merlin moaned as soon as he set his eyes on the dates. “This’ll take _ages_.”

“Then get to it immediately!”

Merlin sighed and was already on his way out when Arthur called him back again.

“Oh, and Merlin?”

“Sire?” Merlin feigned interest.

“Try not to mess it all up like you did with my stuff last time.”

“I didn't mess anything up! I organized it!”

“Of course you didn't, because that would imply that it was disorganized before, which _isn't true_! I knew perfectly where to find my stuff before you came by with your alleged _'organization'_! Now, it's been more than a week since I last used my stapler, _because I can't find it anywhere_!”

Merlin rolled his eyes and walked around Arthur's table, opening the second drawer and pulling the stapler out of it. “The staples are in the third drawer, if you need them. Anything else, Sire?”

Arthur glowered, studying the stapler for a moment, as if he was expecting to find something out of order just so he could make another complaint. “Nothing else,” he said at last. “For now.”

“If you'll excuse me,” Merlin mock-bowed before leaving.

“Everything okay?” Gwen asked when Merlin stopped by her desk to leave the Starbucks bag.

“Oh, everything's great, really,” Merlin forced the corners of his mouth up in a tense smile. “Just a typical Monday afternoon. Now, I'll spent a few hours inside the storage room digging out some fossils.” He waved with the list Arthur handed him.

“Oh...” Gwen seemed disappointed. “I thought you'd help me with today's revision, like you did last week...”

“I'm sorry, Gwen, but I don't think I can do it today.”

“Merlin!” Arthur called again and Merlin cursed under his breath. “Haven't I mentioned I need these files yesterday?”

“Well, looks like things are back to normal” Gwen said with a little smile. “Leon and I were just wondering why he had arrived in such a good mood.”

“Good mood?” Merlin frowned.

“Yeah, he even wished a good morning to Beatrice! Her face was priceless,” Gwen said, trying to contain a laugh. “But you should go on before he drags you by the ear!”

“Very funny,” Merlin said frustrated.

Five minutes later, Merlin was hunched over a filling cabinet in the back of the storage room, where the oldest files were kept, pointedly ignoring Gwaine's texts – he had sent a dozen messages of the likes ' _It was just a harmless joke!_ ' and ' _Come on, Merlin, don't be so cruel!_ ’ and ' _How am I supposed to compete with Lance?_ ' - when he heard the door opening with a loud bang.

Merlin looked up to see Arthur marching his way. He straightened up, showing one of the files he had already retrieved. “One down, five to go—Arthur?” Merlin's eyes widened, and he took a step back instinctively. His back hit the cabinet when Arthur didn’t stop there, pushing the file away once he had Merlin pinned, one of the drawer handles digging painfully into the back of his thigh.

Arthur dug his fingers into Merlin's hair to keep his head in place. “Does it look like I give a shit about those files?” he addressed, gaze fixed on Merlin's mouth.

Merlin swallowed. “Well, if you don't, you did a great job faking it.”

“Because that was the plan, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur said before kissing him. The moan that escaped Merlin's mouth could be either from pain – since there was another handle poking at the base of his spine, now – or pleasure – since he felt something almost as hard as the metal at his back poking him in the hip.

Despite the discomfort, Merlin wouldn't mind being kissed senseless if it wasn't for the worry that overtook him next. “Have you gone mad?” Merlin shoved at Arthur's shoulders so that he could look him in the eyes. “Anyone could walk in here!”

“No one would dare to,” Arthur snarled, his eyes roving over every bit of Merlin's face. “They probably think I'm taking you apart now for being too useless even to find some files,” he kissed him again. “I wish I could take you apart right now, just not the way they're thinking.”

Merlin whimpered, but pushed Arthur away again with a sudden grasp. “What about the surveillance cameras?”

“There's none in here. I've checked,” Arthur assured, fitting one of his legs between Merlin's and nuzzling his neck, inhaling deeply. “Christ, Merlin, I love your scent.”

“You do?” Merlin said, surprised, gasping at the feeling of Arthur's tongue on his skin. Merlin wasn't wearing cologne, so maybe Arthur was smelling his shampoo.

“I want to suck you right here,” Arthur said, licking and kissing the tender spot right bellow his jawbone. “I want to watch your skin go red, then purple and remember it was me who did that, just like the other day. I want to see people looking at it and realizing exactly what we were doing in here.”

“You wouldn't,” Merlin panted, even though he knew he wouldn't care to stop Arthur if he actually dared to.

“It doesn't stop me from wanting to mark you all over, Merlin,” Arthur slid one of his hands down Merlin's thigh and lifted it, pressing himself harder into Merlin while he writhed, trying to ease the discomfort at his back. “Do you know what else I want?”

“What?”

“I want to make you come in your pants again.”

“Please don't,” Merlin whimpered, resisting the urge to cling to Arthur's perfectly pressed shirt.

He definitely should start bringing a spare pair of briefs.

“Ouch!” Merlin cried out when Arthur pushed him harder against the cabinet, causing the handle to bury deeper into his side, “my back.”

“Fuck!” Arthur pulled him closer, slipping one arm around Merlin's waist to prevent him from touching the metal again. He pressed their foreheads together, then, breathing heavily. “I can't do it right now,” he kissed Merlin's lips, “but you can't escape forever.”

“I wouldn't dream of it,” it was Merlin's time to kiss him, lingering there for a moment.

Reluctantly, they let go of one another, and Arthur took a couple of deep breaths, smoothing his clothes while Merlin rubbed his own back as best as he could.

“Wait a few minutes before you come out,” Arthur said, seeming to have regained control over himself, “and don't forget to study the report I sent you.”

“What about the files?” Merlin pointed to the still open drawer.

“Fuck the files.” Arthur waved the list dismissively, but then clearly thought better of it, grabbing the one Merlin had offered him before. “I'll take this one, though,” he held it at hip-level, shielding his erection from prying eyes, and then left.

“Fuck the files,” Merlin repeated mockingly. “Like I said, just a typical Monday afternoon.”

Merlin took a deep breath and started to put everything away.

.Merlin.

_'When will I see you again?'_

_'Tomorrow ,1 p.m.?'_

_'When will I see you again alone? Just the two of us? With no need to worry about appearances? No need to spend the entire morning figuring a way of sending you to somewhere isolated so I can take advantage of you?'_

_'You mean you spent the entire morning checking security cameras and making a list of files just so you could take advantage of me?'_

_'I thought it was obvious.'_

_'It was.'_

_'Great. Now answer my question.'_

_'Friday night, maybe?'_

_'At the pub? Merlin, what part of “just the two of us” didn’t you get?'_

_'Well, at least that's what I'll be telling my mom, that I'm at the pub with the office guys.'_

_'Maybe you're not as stupid as you act, Merlin.'_

_'Always boosting me up, Arthur.'_

_'Where are we going, then?'_

_'Your place?'_

_'Alright, scratch that. Where are we going before we come to my place?'_

_'Do we have to?'_

_'Merlin, I'm trying to woo you, if you haven't noticed yet. I want to take you out in a date. You sure you know how this works?'_

_'Did you take Elena on a date the other night?'_

When the answer didn't come right away, Merlin tossed his phone at his bed and dropped down on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. Dammit. Why did he have to always bollocks everything up? Arthur was being attentive and caring, like Merlin had never thought he could be. Yet, even though Merlin appreciated the effort, he didn't want to be treated like a girl. Let alone when Arthur could have any women  without even breaking a sweat. Apparently, he didn't even had to court them before taking them to bed, as he did with Elena.

When his phone vibrated again with an incoming text, Merlin hesitated before checking it, fearing Arthur had given up, saying it was all a big mistake.

' _Elena didn't mean anything to me, Merlin._ '

Merlin breathed out, face-planting the pillow again, relieved. He knew what was written between the lines there. _Elena didn't mean anything, but you do._ The thing was, Merlin would rather Arthur were more straightforward with his words. Was it normal for people to beat around the bush like that when in a relationship? Why couldn't they say it, for once?

His phone buzzed again.

_'Besides, I'm not interested in Netflix and chill.'_

_'Well, I wouldn't mind it.'_

_'Merlin...'_

_'If you really make a point of going out, we can actually go to the pub, then. This way, no one'll suspect anything.'_

_'Alright, fine, you win. Friday night at my place. You pick a movie, as long as it isn't more entertaining than me. Happy?'_

Merlin rolled his eyes before typing his answer.

_'No popcorn.'_

_'No popcorn._ _Got it.'_

.Merlin.

“No, it won't be necessary,” Arthur answered readily. “He can follow it from here.”

“ _I'm sure he can,_ ” said Alator, on the other end of the line, “ _but it'd be better if he could spend a couple of day here, with us. This way, Isolde can show him how the team works.”_

“Alator, I appreciate what you're doing, but it truly won't be necessary. Isolde has no time to waste with this, I'm sure—”

“ _Arthur,_ ” Alator cut him off and Arthur had to bite his lower lip not to curse. “ _It's no wasted time, and you know it. Merlin seems to be really interested. I haven't known him that long, but I can tell he's promising. And I know we're on the same page here, otherwise you wouldn't be, as you put it, wasting your time with him, either.”_

“But he's not an employee, yet,” Arthur insisted. “What if the other interns hear about it and think Merlin's being privileged because of me?”

_“I'll tell you what, if any other interns show interest in getting to know my division, our doors are open to them. But none have taken the initiative, have they? Merlin shouldn't be disadvantaged by it either.”_

_Arthur's nostrils flared as he exhaled, having run out of arguments, except for one. But he wouldn't dare telling Alator that he wasn't happy about allowing Merlin out of his sight for even a few hours, let alone a couple of days. Deep down, Arthur knew that he was being selfish, and that Merlin would probably be upset if he knew Arthur was getting in the way of an opportunity like this, but he couldn't help it._

_“Fine,” Arthur gave in at last. “Here's how it's going to be. He'll stay with Isolde a couple of hours a day, at the end of his shift. This way, he can still give us a hand, and Isolde won't be overloaded.”_

_“_ _We have a deal. I'll talk to Isolde, then, and let you know when he can start._ _”_

_“Thank you, Alator. I won't forget what you're doing.”_

_“_ _It's no sacrifice, kid._ _”_

_When Arthur hug up, he didn't know if he should celebrate or curse the moment he had the brilliant idea of presenting Merlin to the Development Division's manager. Alator had been his mentor through the short period of time he spent as an analyst at his division, before he was named as team manager at Implementation's. He used to hear Arthur's ideas with interest, as opposed to the patronizing tone the other managers addressed him with._

_Arthur knew from the beginning that Alator would see Merlin's potential, as he had seen Arthur's a few years ago. Not just for Alator's keen perception, or simply because of Arthur's regard, but also because of Merlin's inherent charisma. The point was, Arthur was starting to think Alator had shown a bit too much interest – which was ridiculous, considering that Arthur knew Alator's wife and kids, and he knew it wasn't in his nature to act like that, but his stubborn subconscious couldn't make that separation._

_And now Arthur had agreed to hand Merlin to him and his staff for a couple of precious hours for an entire week!_

_When his phone rang again, it was Morgana returning his call._

_“_ _Did you call me?_ _” she asked in that tone that said 'you better have a very good reason to bother me today, dear brother'._

“I did,” Arthur took a deep breath and tried to sound as casual as possible as he uttered his next words. “I was wondering if it'd be possible for Merlin to work full-time over his break.”

Morgana puffed, keeping silent for a moment. “ _Contractually speaking, I'm not sure_ ,” she said, at last, sounding quite irritated. “ _It's possible, but I'd probably have to draw up a side contract, since it's temporary. Are you sure you need this? There's no way Merlin can't handle his duties in five hours!_ ”

“The point isn't if he can or cannot handle it. The point is, I have the majority of my meetings  scheduled in the mornings, and I could use some help with the equipment and technical details of my presentations.”

“ _Then all it takes is for you to change his working schedule over break!_ ”

“But he'd still have to assist the division's operations. He wouldn't be able to handle his work, then!”

“ _Funny, you used to get by on your own just fine not long ago, since you didn't even have an intern to begin with._ ”

“Funny indeed. I used to have full staff not long ago. Now, without Gwaine...” Arthur trailed off.

“ _Why, you—_ ” Morgana cut herself off. “ _Gwaine can't make that much of a difference there, especially since he isn't of much help here. He talks more than he works! And flirts with his own reflection._ ”

“Why haven't you sent him back, then?”

Morgana sighed. “ _Fine, I'll figure this bloody contract out, okay?_ ”

Arthur smirked as he hung up. Actually, he wasn't exactly looking forward to Gwaine's return. Not that he was completely useless – he was an excellent seller and somehow he managed to charm even the most reluctant of all the clients. But he wouldn't give Merlin a moment of peace and Arthur already had too much competition for the boy's attention as it was, without Gwaine nosing around all the time.

The morning went by uneventfully. At one in the afternoon, when Merlin finally arrived, Arthur had to look twice to be certain of what he was seeing. As Merlin walked across the room towards his office, Arthur's jaw set and his fists closed tight.

“Hello,” Merlin said cheerfully as he entered the room, placing a cup of Starbucks' tea on Arthur's table. “Er... Is there a problem?” he asked before Arthur's stern silence.

“No, Merlin. There's no problem at all” Arthur assured with forced calmness. “I just remembered I have to make a call. We'll talk later.”

“Oh, sure,” Merlin nodded, leaving the office after casting one last uncertain glance over his shoulder.

Arthur picked up the phone and asked Beatrice to check if the conference room was available. When she returned with a positive answer, Arthur stood, and walked towards Merlin's table. The boy had just turned his computer on and faced him with slightly wide-eyes.

“Merlin,” Arthur called smoothly, making a point of observing closely while Merlin swallowed audibly. “Why don't you follow me to the fifth floor?”

“Um... Right” Merlin glanced at his own table. “You need me to bring something?”

“No, that won't be necessary. Unless you want to bring your stupid dragon toy—”

“Hey, Kill's no stupid,” Merlin shot back promptly, offended.

“—just so you can have some moral support,” Arthur carried on as if he hadn't been interrupted.

“Will I be needing some moral support?” Merlin asked quietly.

“Oh, I don't know,” Arthur kept the same, falsely joyous, tone. “Do you feel guilty for some reason?”

“Me? Hmm,” Merlin lifted his hand to his hair and then seemed to finally remember it was shorter. His eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

“Come on, Merlin,” Arthur motioned for Merlin to walk ahead. “Let's talk about this sense of guilt of yours.”

“I didn't cut that much,” Merlin argued as soon as they entered the lift.

“Didn't you?” Arthur continued, feigning unconcern. “Well, it depends on what you consider to be _'too much’_. It's a relative term.”

“But it was too long!”

“Like I said, it's relative.”

“This isn't fair, you know?” Merlin snapped, at last. “It's my hair! I shouldn't even have listened to what you said, but I gave all your instructions to the barber! Exactly like you said! And yet—”

“Not exactly, no,” Arthur said through gritted teeth, as the door opened on the fifth floor.

They kept silent until they reached the conference room, where Arthur brought Merlin closer to him as soon as the door closed behind them. He ran one hand through Merlin's nape and grunted when he couldn't grasp the hair there, now too short.

“I said no trimming!”

“I only trimmed the nape!”

“Exactly! And where should I grab you now? By your ears, maybe?”

Arthur didn't wait for him to answer, kissing him fiercely, sliding his hands through Merlin's hair and letting out a frustrated moan.

“You didn't like it?” Merlin sounded insecure as he stepped back, palming Arthur's chest.

“Fuck, Merlin,” Arthur caressed Merlin's face watching as he closed his eyes, his forehead wrinkled in concern. “I like everything about you, you stupid kid. Even your stupid ears.” He kissed one of said ears.

Merlin flinched and stepped away from him. “You aren't mad, then?” he asked, still a little unsure.

Arthur sighed. Of course he was mad, but Merlin wouldn't understand how he felt like he owned each and every tiny bit of him, from his hair to his toes, and Arthur didn't want to scare him off.

“It's just hair,” Arthur said, instead. “It'll grow again. Now come here.” He pulled Merlin into his arms again and they resumed snogging languidly, until Merlin's face smoothed out and his lips became red and puffy—just the way Arthur liked it.

The knowledge that he had to wait until Friday to have Merlin to himself made Arthur feel irritated. He wished to sit Merlin on the conference table and fit himself between his legs, grinding against him until he gave up control. However, the door couldn't be locked, and while Arthur might be quite impulsive when it came to Merlin, but he wasn't irresponsible to the point of doing something like that.

With a defeated sigh, he took a step back, but kept his arms loosely around Merlin's waist, thumbs hooked in the belt loops at the back of his jeans. “However much I'd love to spend the rest of the afternoon snogging you, I have an appointment with the Financial guys, third floor. And I have some news.”

Arthur told him about his chats with Morgana and Alator, and Merlin’s eyes widened at the possibility of getting to know the Development Division.

“Wow... That's... Wow. When?”

“We're still considering the best moment” Arthur said, cross by Merlin's thrilled reaction to learning that he'd be spending some time away from him. “Maybe in a couple of weeks, when you start working full-time.”

“Wow,” Merlin marveled again. “Does this happen often?”

“Not often, no,” Arthur admitted. “But it's not that unusual. Alator is the kind of person who likes to teach, and help people expand their knowledge. He noticed your interest and made the offer.”

“And you're okay with it?” Merlin sounded wary.

“It's not like it's something permanent,” Arthur tried to sound unbothered, “and you'll still get to stay under my supervision during most of the work days, so... Yes, I'm fine with it.”

Merlin hugged him and Arthur closed his eyes, feeling guilty about his previous reluctance.

“Thank you.” Merlin said, close to his ear. Arthur kissed his neck.

“I'm simply doing my job as your supervisor.”

“Modesty doesn't suit you, Arthur.” Merlin regarded him with one of his secret smiles, and Arthur's heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah, you're right. You'll have to find a way to make it up to me later.” Arthur shrugged, kissing Merlin's nose before stepping away. “Alright, let's get to third floor, now.”

“Me, too?” Merlin sounded surprised, but followed Arthur anyway. “Why? Isn't it one of those meetings your father and your sister attend, too?”

“So what? So do a bunch of old buggers who think they know everything there is to know about finance, but tremble before a computer. I'm confident your skills with Page Up and Page Down will be highly appreciated by them.”

Merlin didn't look at ease, but he never did when Uther was around. His father sometimes took part of Arthur's meeting with some of the oldest clients, but most of the time he didn't bother to show up. In fact, Arthur preferred it when he didn't, especially since their opinions hardly matched, and Arthur knew most of the clients better than Uther ever would care to.

Unlike other times, though, instead of presiding over the meeting, Arthur were invited as a participant, which provided him some liberty to observe Merlin and realize his edginess. He wouldn't stop checking the projector wires and kept full attentiveness on the presenter – Mr. Fisher, the oldest of the company's employees – careful not to miss his cue to change to the next slide. He also wouldn't stop sending nervous glances towards Uther, even though his father couldn't care less about Merlin – or the presentation, to be fair, since he was scrolling on his phone throughout the entire meeting. In fact, the only person who seemed to be paying attention to the man's speech was Morgana.

That made Arthur feel safe enough to fish his own phone out of his pocket, keeping it half-hidden under the table while typing a message to Merlin, hopping that he'd have turned it on silent mode.

_'Stop biting your lips or you're gonna hurt yourself.'_

Arthur watched as Merlin frowned and took his own phone out, reading the text. He searched for Arthur's eyes, then, biting his lower lip nearly instinctively. Arthur shook his head from one side to the other very deliberately.

Blushing, Merlin pressed his lips in a tight line.

_'If someone can bite your lips, that someone is me.’_ Arthur sent the text and watched as Merlin swallowed dryly. He punched something in rapidly, and placed the phone on the table, turning his attention back to Mr. Fisher.

' _Shut up._ '

Arthur read the text and smirked.

_'Any ideas on what else I could do with your mouth_ _? Cause I have a few...'_

Merlin's jaw went slack for a moment as he read those words and he didn't bother to reply, avoiding looking at Arthur's general direction.

_'I can picture your red plush lips stretched over something way bigger than those lollipops you used to suck.'_

_'I can picture you licking your lips afterward like you've just eaten the best dessert you ever had.'_

_'I can picture your lips parted, your breath ragged while I return the favor…'_

“Mr. Emrys?” Mr. Fisher called, causing Merlin to look up, surprised and flushed, and Arthur had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his amusement.

“I'm sorry,” Merlin asked, changing the slide and securing his phone inside his jeans pocket.

After that, Merlin ignored all of Arthur's texts, but it didn't stop Arthur from sending them anyway, watching as Merlin still blushed at each one, even without reading it. At some point, though, he looked up to find Morgana's inquiring stare on him. He proceeded to clear his throat and put his phone away then, mimicking Merlin's focused expression for the rest of the meeting.

.Merlin.

The week couldn't go by fast enough, and Arthur questioned his decision of keeping their relationship secret more than once. Not only because he couldn't meet with Merlin without having to think of some excuse, but also because he couldn't tell the world Merlin was his and no one else's. Twice that week, Arthur had the distinct impression someone was flirting with Merlin – once when the Financial Division's intern came by to take a few correspondences to Arthur, and another time when Merlin joined him in a meeting and one of the executives of the company wouldn't stop ogling the boy's ass. Yet, Merlin seemed to be oblivious to the way people stared at him, treating everyone with sympathy and intentness, which only added to Arthur's distress.

When Friday finally came, Arthur insisted in picking Merlin up, but Merlin reasoned it'd be better if he took the tube, as always, if they really intended to keep up appearances. After all, Arthur wouldn't drive Merlin to the pub to get sloshed.

Therefore, Arthur chose a comfortable outfit – his sweatpants, T-shirt and slippers – and played a video game while he waited for Merlin. When his guest arrived, Arthur nearly pounced on him right there, in the lobby. He barely waited until the door was safely closed behind them to bring him closer, kissing and groping unrestrictedly.

“Oh, how I missed this,” Arthur said inhaling the sweet smell of Merlin's hair as the boy tangled his arms around Arthur's neck, “and this,” Arthur squeezed Merlin's buttocks and held his thighs, lifting him from the ground.

Merlin yelped, but ended up circling Arthur's waist with his legs, consenting to be carried to the marble counter, where Arthur set him down and pressed himself flush to Merlin’s body. Arthur had to tilt his head up to face him like this.

“I missed you too,” Merlin admitted, holding Arthur's face with both hands and pulling him in for another kiss.

Apparently, Merlin loved to use his tongue and Arthur didn't feel tempted in the slightest to complain, reciprocating enthusiastically while sticking his hands under Merlin's shirt, stroking his waist, back, and belly, enticingly thumbing his nipples and feeling them go hard under his ministrations.

“Why do you always have to wear jeans?” Arthur chided at feeling the fabric resistance as opposed to the malleability of his sweatpants.

“I can take them off, if you'd like,” Merlin offered.

Arthur grunted. “Not yet,” he said, pulling Merlin back to his feet, ignoring his objections. “Come on, you pick the movie while I order us some pizza.”

“But—”

“I said we'd be watching a movie, _Mer_ lin” Arthur said firmly.

“The movie and pizza can wait!” Merlin whined.

Arthur refused to budge. “There's no need to rush, Merlin; we have plenty of time.” Arthur kissed his obstinate pout away and smacked his butt. “Now, the movie!”

The story line of the movie Merlin picked wasn't that elaborate, but the action scenes and special effects made up for it, and Arthur was relaxed enough to enjoy it, unlike the first time. Halfway through the movie, when they had finished eating two whole pizzas and drinking beer, Arthur pushed the pizza boxes under the center table and stretched his body on the couch, settling his bare feet on top of Merlin's lap.

“Hey, you lazy wanker!” Merlin moved to push him away, but Arthur shoved one foot at his face.

“Shut up, Merlin” Arthur threw a pillow at him next. “I'm trying to watch the movie here!”

“Now who's ignoring whom?”

“Stop whining and do something useful. Like massaging my feet.”

Instead of pushing him, this time, Merlin kicked his own shoes off and put his feet on the center table. Then he placed the thrown pillow on his lap, under Arthur's feet. A few minutes later, he cursed and took his phone out of his pocket, placing it on the sofa arm.

“What's going on?” Arthur asked.

“Gwaine won't stop texting me, calling me to the pub.”

“You gave Gwaine your phone number?” Arthur said indignantly.

“No,” Merlin rolled his eyes. “He found it himself, actually. Just like _you_ did.”

Arthur didn't have a smart answer to that. Gwaine was working in the HR Division, therefore it'd be easy for him to access Merlin's file. Arthur should have guessed he'd do exactly that.

“But I'd've given it to him, anyway,” Merlin added, and Arthur set his jaw tight, grinding his teeth. “He _is_ my friend, you know?”

Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes turned back to the device before he turned it face down. Arthur knew how persistent Gwaine could be, that's why he had left his phone on silent, upstairs.

“Give it to me,” Arthur stretched his arm and Merlin stared at him suspiciously. “I'll make him shut it.”

After a brief consideration, Merlin grabbed his phone, unblocked it, and handed it to Arthur, turning his attention back to the movie. Arthur felt some kind of satisfaction at noticing the calmness with which Merlin trusted him with something as personal as his phone and, even though his fingers itched to snoop around, he made an effort to do just what he said he'd do: text Gwaine.

_'Will you stop nagging? I already have to put up with you harassing Merlin in the office, and now, when I finally get some time alone with him, you have to stick your big nose in here, too?'_

' _Arthur? Is that you?_ ' came Gwaine's text right away. And then, a few seconds later, ' _I knew it!_ '

' _Shut up, Gwaine, or I'll call you a cock-blocker from now on._ '

“ _A cock-blocker? Me? This is absurd! I didn't pry on the both of you on your birthday night when I absolutely could have, now did I? Percy can totally back me up on this. Far be it from me to get in the way of something like that! You guys have fun!_ '

Arthur was about to hand the phone back when it vibrated again.

' _Give Merlin a kiss for me. You can choose the spot._ '

' _GWSINE!_ ' Arthur typed so furiously he didn't even realize his spelling mistake.

' _I'll shut it now!_ ” Gwaine answered quickly.

' _GOOD FOR YOU!_ '

Puffing, Arthur placed the phone on the center table and struggled to focus on the movie again, though unsuccessfully. Merlin had rested his hand on Arthur's ankle for a bit, but then started to rub the ball of his feet with his thumbs. Instead of relaxing, Arthur felt more and more tense, some parts of his body tenser than others. And, by the way Merlin avoided his eyes, he was doing it on purpose.

By the end of the movie, Arthur snarled and pounced on him.

“Don't play innocent on me, Merlin,” Arthur said, tugging him down until they were both horizontal.

“What are you talking about? I'm watching the movie!”

“You're driving me crazy,” Arthur pressed himself into Merlin's leg just so he knew exactly how much he was affected.

“I thought you said you didn't want to rush,” Merlin teased.

“I _didn't_. But I do now.”

“And why would I give in to your will after you made me wait this long?” Despite his words, Merlin didn't seem eager to stop Arthur's advances. Quite the contrary.

“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur kissed him, making some space for Merlin to arrange himself in a more comfortable position below Arthur's body, who then settled between his bent legs.

Arthur broke the kiss to take Merlin's shirt off and allowed him to help Arthur dispose of his own. Arthur sucked and lapped at one of Merlin's nipples at a time, making Merlin moan and push his hips up to needily grind against Arthur's stomach. Arthur scraped his teeth along Merlin's belly, making him squirm while slowly unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. He slid the tip of his nose through Merlin's happy trail, from his navel to his briefs. Arthur pulled the waistband of Merlin's jeans down just enough to reveal the outline of his penis.

Arthur swallowed, then. Somehow, he felt unsure of what he was doing in a way he hadn't felt the first time. He liked the idea of having been the first to blow Merlin, but he knew at the time that the fact that the boy didn't have any previous experience favored him. Now, all he could think about was that he wouldn't have that excuse for long.

Merlin seemed to really enjoy blowing Arthur. The act itself, not just a means to an end, like it was for Arthur. The power granted by going down on someone was intoxicating, indeed. Being able to give pleasure to someone, make them writhe and moan with your mouth. But Arthur wasn't sure if he'd come to truly appreciate sucking Merlin. Get used to it, maybe, but not thoroughly enjoy it.

Arthur took a deep breath over the thin layer of cloth before pressing his lips over Merlin's erection, observing his belly muscles twitch as his cock pulsed.

“Arthur?” Merlin panted, the sound barely audible over the soundtrack of the movie, but Arthur ignored him for a moment while pulling his briefs down, uncovering his penis just partially, taking a close look at it now.

Only then did Arthur chance a glance up to Merlin's face, finding his shining eyes reflecting the flashing lights of the telly, where the credits were now rolling. Merlin had propped his upper half up on his elbows to watch, and was breathing heavily. “Yes, Merlin?”

“Please, Arthur,” Merlin whispered and, when Arthur licked his lips, Merlin mirrored his action as if enchanted.

“What? This?” Arthur licked the head of his cock, keeping his eyes intent on Merlin, who threw his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. Arthur was determined to catalog each and every one of his reactions to know exactly what worked on him. After all, Arthur was always an exemplary student, even if he didn't particularly like the subject in question.

“Yes!” Merlin moaned and fixed his eyes on Arthur again.

Feeling his own cock hardening before that response, Arthur pulled his briefs lower, exposing his cock entirely and licking him from root to head, bypassing the bitter taste of his pre-come.

“Like this?” Arthur asked, licking him again, testing, studying.

“Yes!” Merlin panted.

Arthur rearranged himself, supporting the majority of his weight on his knees and one of his hands, while holding Merlin's penis with the other, sucking the head and letting it slide across the roof of his mouth, finding that it was arousing, in a way. Merlin flopped back to the couch, hissing.

“You like it?” Arthur asked before taking him in again, this time as far as he could.

“Yesss!” Merlin thrust his hips up in an unconscious move. “Yes. Please, Arthur.”

Arthur let Merlin move his hips until his eyes teared up, resisting as best as he could the urge to stop him, but soon he had to move back so as not to gag.

Holding him in place, Arthur bobbed his head and noticed that the occasional nudge of the glands at the beginning of his throat caused much less discomfort. He alternated the movement with licks along Merlin's shaft, shoving his hand under his pants to touch behind his balls – after all, he had to start exploring his entrance sometime soon, preferably before fucking him.

When the tip of Arthur's index finger brushed his perineum, Merlin came with a cry of surprise. Arthur choked when the first bitter jet hit his throat and backed off a bit, keeping only the head of Merlin's cock in his mouth to avoid getting hit in the face while carrying him through the aftershock with a few more strokes.

As soon as Merlin finally relaxed, Arthur released his softening cock, reaching for his own discarded t-shirt on the floor to spit in it. He worked his jaw a bit in an attempt to ease the discomfort, and then, while Merlin was still recovering, Arthur slipped his hand inside his own pants, letting out a relieved sigh as he wrapped his finger around his cock, the slide of his hand helped by the dampness leaking from the tip.

“I want you to fuck me,” Merlin said, tugging at his arm.

“ _Mer_ lin,” Arthur grumbled, torn between want and concern. “Maybe some other day, okay?” he compromised, looking at him straight in the eyes. “Just not today.”

“Let me give you a hand, then.” Merlin sat upright, taking Arthur's hand out of the way, lowering his pants with a yank and picking up from where he had left. “Is it good?”

“Harder.” Arthur made Merlin lie down again and kissed him, closing one hand on top of Merlin's and pining him in a tight grip. Arthur cursed into Merlin's mouth as he came, holding his hand still for a heartbeat before letting Merlin resume pumping him until he emptied himself into the hollow above Merlin's hipbone.

Breathing heavily, Arthur reached for his dirty t-shirt, wiping them and tucking themselves in their pants again. He lay down on top of Merlin next, fitting his face to the curve of his neck. “So good,” Arthur whispered, and Merlin hummed his agreement. Arthur lifted his head, poking him in the ribs. “Don't fall asleep.”

“'M not” Merlin mumbled, keeping his eyes closed and trying to get comfortable under Arthur's weight.

Arthur lifted his body up just enough for Merlin to turn on his side, getting settled in the space between Arthur and the couch backrest. Arthur laid on his side as well, facing the boy, and encouraging him to rest his forehead on Arthur's collarbone. The movie soundtrack was still playing in the background, so Arthur reached for the remote, turning it down.

“Hmm... This is nice” Merlin said, his hot breath lingering on Arthur's chest. He made a few patterns on Arthur's pecs with the pad of his finger. “I'd stay like this forever.”

Arthur thought that he wouldn't complain if he did stay. It was so good to simply enjoy Merlin's company when he was molded to Arthur like that. Arthur could easily forget everything and everybody else.

Then Arthur remembered something that bothered him earlier that week, when they texted. “It was never like this with Elena,” he said.

“Huh?” Merlin made a move to raise his head, but Arthur held him in place.

“You asked me about my relationship with Elena, before.”

Arthur felt Merlin go tense, and maybe this wasn't the best of the moments to mention Elena, but now that he started, he'd better say it all for once. He didn't like talking about this, but maybe it'd make Merlin less insecure if he learned more about Arthur's past relationships.

“Even back when we dated, she wasn't the kind to be quiet for too long. She liked dancing, talking to people, walking around, seeing things, meeting people... I liked clubbing with her, dancing, and even going to the gym together. But I liked more quiet things too, like catching a movie just the both of us, though it was nearly impossible since she wouldn't stop talking. I missed simply lazing around without worrying about making conversation, just... enjoying each other's company, you know?”

Merlin kept silent for a few endless seconds, during which Arthur stroked the short hair on the back of his head, still mourning the fact that Merlin had cut it.

“Have you talked to her?” Merlin asked at least. “After last week?”

“Once,” Arthur confessed. “Sunday afternoon. She called to ask how I was doing. She was on her way back to France.”

The silence stretched a bit more before Merlin posed another question. “Is this why you broke up? Because she moved away?”

Arthur sighed. “That was certainly a factor, but it'd have ended sooner or later. We're too different.”

“How long were you together?”

“About a year. We lost contact after she left, and the day you saw her leaving was the first time we met since then. We didn't talk much, either, maybe because we knew we'd end up arguing if we did.”

Merlin didn't talk for some time, and Arthur was beginning to relax once again when he asked another question. “Was there anyone before her? Or after?”

“Before...” Arthur frowned. “Nothing serious, no. I dated some girls during college, but none lasted more than a couple of months. Actually, Gwen and I went out a few times back then, but we didn't work out as a couple, in the end,” he paused to wait for a surprised reaction from Merlin, but he simply shrugged.

“I know. She told me.”

“Did she?” Arthur should have guessed.

“Did you have sex with her?”

“She didn't tell you that part?” Arthur said flatly, and then huffed. “Yes, I did. But that's when we found out we wouldn't have worked out anyway. We didn't have that much... chemistry, I guess.”

Merlin snorted, squirming.

“Who else?” Merlin poked and Arthur had to think to remember.

“Well, there were a few casual hook ups, but I don't take them into account – not because there were too many, but simply because I can't remember most of the girls,” he added when Merlin snorted again. “And then there was Mithian. I met her soon after I broke up with Elena. She's the daughter of one of our former clients, but we didn't start dating right away. It took me a few months to ask her out. We dated for almost three years, then.”

Merlin let out a surprised cry.

“It's a great deal of time, I suppose” Arthur shrugged. “She also had her father’s legacy to worry about, so I guess we understood one another.”

“Why did you break up?”

“Because I found out she was sleeping with someone else.”

“What?” Merlin sounded outraged. “Why would she do it?”

Arthur had to withhold an amused smirk. “I don't understand it either,” he used his most cocky tone of voice. “Why would someone want anyone else when they already have me?”

“Plonker” Merlin punched his chest, although without intent.

Arthur laughed, holding his wrist. “And then there's you,” he went on in a lighter tone.

“Me?” This time, Merlin leaned back to look him in the eyes, resting his head on the sofa arm, next to Arthur's.

“Yes, you,” Arthur feigned nonchalance.

“You really didn't hook up with a guy before?”

“No. Didn't even dream of it.”

“Didn't even make out?”

“Well,” Arthur pulled a face, “I made out with Gwaine once, actually.”

“You're kidding me!” Merlin's eyes nearly popped out.

Arthur shrugged. “I lost a bet. I never bet anything with him after that. It's not like I _wanted_ to kiss him, so I wouldn't count it as a valid experience,” Arthur joked, but Merlin didn't look like he was finding it funny.

“Is this why you don't want to go all the way with me? Because I'm a guy?” Merlin asked, uneasy.

“What? No!” Arthur moved his head back an inch, reaching for Merlin's waist and bringing him closer in a half hug. “Who said I don't want to go all the way with you?”

“Why haven't you, then?” Merlin sounded defensive, propping himself up with one arm.

“Because...” Arthur started, but breathed out slowly, trying to calm down. He mirrored Merlin's position, leveling their eyes. “Because it's going to be your first time and I want it to be special. I don't want it to be rushed, messy, tense. I don't want to have to worry about you taking the tube home afterward, or about the time you have to get back home or if I'll leave any marks or what to tell your mother... I want you to be able to enjoy every second of it.”

“You're mean my lack of experience is the only thing stopping you, in the end?”

“That's not what I mean,” Arthur said, annoyed. “Listen. I want it to be good for you, some memory you can cherish for the rest of your life, not regret it,” he finished softer.

“I'd never regret anything with—” Merlin started to say, but Arthur cut him off.

“I won't risk it, Merlin. End of discussion.”

Merlin sighed and flopped back to the couch again, puffing. “Alright,” he gave in, reluctantly. “Do you regret your first time?”

“Not exactly,” Arthur settled beside him once again, facing him. “I was too young. And I barely knew the girl. I didn't mind it, at the time. But now...” Arthur sighed. “I can't ever remember her anymore.”

“I see,” Merlin said, placing his hand on Arthur's chest.

Arthur stroked Merlin's face, sliding his thumb over his lips. They were so close, all Arthur needed to do was whisper. “But don't think for a moment I don't want to do it. You have _no idea_ how much I want it. Do you know how many times I daydreamed about fucking you?”

Merlin's eyes got round in a beat and his lips parted. Arthur took the opportunity to bring their bodies even closer, fitting one leg between Merlin's.

“Do you know how many times I fantasized about that?” Arthur shoved his hand inside Merlin's pants, grabbing his already hard cock, making him close his eyes and bite his lower lip. “How many times I touched myself thinking about it?”

Arthur pulled Merlin over him and stretching his body on the couch below him, slipping one leg out to plant one foot on the floor for better support. Merlin hovered over him in all fours, so as to give better access to Arthur. Merlin leaned down to kiss him, backing away soon after to catch his breath as Arthur jerked him faster.

“Do you have any idea how many times I pictured myself taking you? You laying on your back in my bed, your legs around my waist? You in all fours while I take you from behind? You bent over my table? Here on this very couch?”

Tired of fighting against Merlin's clothes, Arthur pulled his jeans and pants halfway down his thighs, and spit on his own hand before resuming pumping his cock. Merlin let out a moan in reply to the added moisture.

“Open your mouth,” Arthur told him, sticking one finger of his free hand in Merlin's mouth, being met with his eager tongue. “Yes. Very good.”

Arthur pulled him closer, then, never slowing in jerking him off. When the pad of Arthur's finger touched him between his buttocks, smearing saliva along his perineum and around his hole, Merlin's breath hitched and he threw his head back.

“Do you like it?” Arthur breathed into Merlin's ear, making him whine and nod with his head while Arthur's finger pressed slowly in, testing the resistance of his muscles. “Do you touch yourself like this, thinking about me?”

“Yes, yes, Arthur, please...”

Arthur slipped the tip of his finger inside and felt Merlin's cock pulsing immediately. The boy's internal muscles spasmed around his finger in time with the hot splashes of cum that hit Arthur's stomach. Arthur closed his eyes and swallowed, trying not to imagine the feeling of entering Merlin, the heat, the tightness...

“ _Mer_ lin,” Arthur tried to stop Merlin's hands when he tugged at his sweatpants. “Wait...”

“I don't want to wait” Merlin said, batting Arthur's hands away and holding Arthur's impossibly hard cock in place, stuffing his mouth with it.

Arthur cursed and carded his fingers through Merlin's head, hitting the back of his own head on the armrest and marveling at the enthusiasm with which Merlin sucked him. When he lowered his eyes again, Merlin was looking straight at him, his cheeks hollowed, cheekbones sticking out, lips stretched around the head of Arthur's cock while he lapped at the tip with his tongue.

Arthur hummed his approval when Merlin resumed bobbing his head. He felt his balls tightening up and let the tension gather there, dangerously close to releasing it, enjoying every second of the delayed pleasure. He had every intention of pulling Merlin up before coming, but, instead of that, he pushed his hips up into the heat of his mouth, unable to restrain himself, holding Merlin still by gripping his hair. Merlin uttered a sound of surprise, but didn't stop him when Arthur bucked up into his mouth a few times, shooting his load with a grunt that came out as a growl.

“Fuck,” Arthur pulled Merlin up as soon as he realized what he'd just done and reached for his t-shirt. When he found it, though, Merlin had already swallowed Arthur's cum and was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Arthur stared at him for a moment, gobsmacked, before bringing him for a sloppy kiss.

“I'm sorry,” Arthur mumbled into his lips. “I shouldn't have—” Arthur swallowed the rest of the sentence. He shouldn't have lost control like that.

“It's okay.” Merlin straightened up, looking torn between stunned and awestruck. “I kind of liked it,” he admitted, slightly embarrassed. “Here,” he grabbed the t-shirt from Arthur's hand and cleaned them up as best as he could, fixing their trousers before lying down on top of him. His smug smirk left Arthur astounded.

Shaking his head to himself, Arthur circled Merlin's waist with his arms and closed his eyes, trying to even his breath. The TV was now playing a series of movie trailers and advertising, the sound loud over their silence.

“I think I'd better go,” Merlin said after some time, sounding reluctant.

Arthur had to take a deep breath not to protest, saying he wouldn't let him go. They could make up some excuse for Mrs. Emrys. Damn it, Arthur would call her himself, if needed, and he was sure Merlin wouldn't object – he looked like he was desperate to stay.

“When will I see you again?” Arthur asked instead of that.

“I don't know.” Merlin sighed, propping his chin up with his hands. “Tomorrow, maybe? Sunday?”

“Oh, bugger. I have a football match Sunday afternoon,” Arthur remembered suddenly. “I'd ask you to come, but I've got this feeling you aren't such a fan of the sport.”

“Oh, I don't like to play it, but... I wouldn't mind watching” Merlin shrugged and Arthur regarded him with a suspicious look.

“Really?”

“Wait, let me think about it,” Merlin feigned concentration. “Watching a bunch of sweaty man shouting and running around... You amongst them...”

“Yeah, on second thought, I think you'd better _not_ go,” Arthur backed away, setting his jaw at the thought of Merlin drooling over anyone besides him.

“You're uninviting me now?” Merlin sounded hurt, and Arthur rolled his eyes.

“The guys from the office will be there too; they usually show up. So, anyway, it wouldn't be a date. We'd have to keep up appearances.”

“One more reason for me to come too, since everybody's coming!”

“Everybody who plays, Merlin,” Arthur tried to dodge, but the hurt look on Merlin's face made him breath out harshly. “Alright. But I'll pick you up, then.”

“Okay,” Merlin got to his feet and stretched out with a loud groan before putting his shirt and shoes on again, slipping his phone into his jeans' back pocket.

When he was ready, Arthur hugged him from behind and walked with him to the door.

Merlin laughed when Arthur nuzzled at his neck when they finally got there, and turned around inside Arthur's embrace, kissing him lazily. “See you Sunday, then,” he said.

“It'll take _ages,_ ” Arthur mocked, mimicking Merlin's words whenever Arthur gave him some absurd chore.

“Prat,” Merlin reproached high-spiritedly, and disentangled himself from Arthur's arms.

Arthur reached for the doorknob before Merlin, opening the door for him and leaning on it to watch while Merlin climbed down the stairs hurriedly. Arthur let his shoulders slump, then, resenting having to spend yet another night alone. People used to romanticize secret relationships, but all Arthur could think about now was how frustrating the whole thing really was.

.Merlin.


	15. Part 2 - Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Lexi** 's back! Thank you, my dear!
> 
> Warnings and additional tags at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 14**

  
  


Merlin never knew what to expect when it came to Arthur's mood. In one moment he was cold, distant and bossy; next, he was loving, caring and... well, bossy. At Sunday afternoon, when picking Merlin up, Arthur was distant again, driving silently with his forehead creased in concentration. Merlin had no illusion about being greeted with kisses in front of his building, but he didn't expect this cold treatment either, not after Friday night or even after all the sexting going on since then.

Instead of trying to start up a conversation, Merlin pulled his earphones out of his pocket and entertained himself with his music all through the drive, trying to ignore the irony when Spotify suggested _Hot N' Cold – Katty Perry,_ by the end of his playlist. As soon as they got to the club, they left the car in the parking lot and walked through the complex with Arthur pointing to something or other on their way to the football field. He carried a backpack over his shoulder and was already wearing his uniform, which consisted of red trunks and T-shirt with a yellow number one on the back, right below his surname.

“The pools are over there,” Arthur gestured towards a building further ahead. “There's a dance hall up the road. There's also a gym adjacent to the footie field, but only club members are allowed in. But I hardly think you'd get bored to the point of wanting to work out, anyway,” he sounded sarcastic.

“Do you guys play often?” Merlin asked, trying to suppress the hurt of being left out of this football thing all this time. Never mind he wasn't the most athletic person in the world and didn't really make a point of hiding it, but it didn't make any easier to accept the fact that he hadn't even been invited out of politeness.

“Once a month,” Arthur shrugged. “It's not often that everybody is available and the dates keep changing because of that, but we've been able to come together at least once a month.”

“Hey, Arthur!” they came to a halt at hearing the familiar voice and waited for Mordred to catch up to them. He grabbed Arthur's arm just below the elbow and tapped his back in a friendly way. “Good to see you, Merlin,” Mordred squeezed Merlin's shoulder next and Arthur's brow furrowed deeper still. “Are you playing with us?”

“Um. Actually, I'm here for cheering purposes, only,” Merlin admitted as they resumed walking towards the field.

“Cheering is always welcome,” Mordred said. He was dressed in uniform, just like Arthur. “If I'd known you'd come, I'd have brought Kara too. She used to come, but always complained about being bored, alone in the stands.”

“Oh, maybe next time?” Merlin said politely, though he was actually relieved that Mordred hadn't thought to bring his girlfriend. Merlin didn't know Kara that well except for some exchanged greetings at the pub, but she didn't seem to be very warm-hearted and never smiled back to him.

“Merlin!” they heard another familiar voice.

Arthur grunted, by his side. “Gwaine, didn't you say you wouldn't be able to come?” Arthur asked, stepping in front of Merlin when Gwaine continued jogging towards him.

“I changed my mind!” Gwaine skidded the last few inches, stopping right in front of Arthur's broad chest and smiling at Merlin over the blond's shoulder. “I felt sorry for you guys. In fact you should be thanking me, Princess. You're a sore loser.”

“And who's to say we'd lose without you?” Arthur insisted, stepping to the side when Gwaine moved that way to bypass him and Merlin rolled his eyes, walking past the both of them and running towards Lance.

Lance was sitting on one of the lower benches of the stands, tying his football boots. “Hey, fancy seeing you here!” Lance smiled warmly, giving Merlin's hand a firm shake. “I thought you didn't like football!”

“Oh, I really don't.” Merlin waved to Percy and Elyan, who were already warming up in the middle of the field. “I came to watch.”

“Really? Wait, I'll tell Gwen you're here. Maybe she can come giveyou some company, how about this?”

“That'd be great!” Merlin said, hopping she could make it.

Merlin took the opportunity to assess his surroundings while Lance typed the message to Gwen. Arthur was still lecturing Gwaine about something, but Mordred had abandoned the both of them to join the others at the field. There were a few unknown people scattered about the stands and a handful of others running around the field’s perimeter.

“Who are those guys?” Merlin pointed to the other players. They wore white, for the most part, but they weren’t as disciplined when it came to their uniform as the Pendragon guys, who wore Nike shirts, probably custom-made.

“They’re from an amateur time we use to compete whenever,” Lance stated. “I don’t know any of them outside the club, as a matter of fact. What’s going on there?” Lance pointed with his thumb at Arthur and Gwaine’s general direction.

Arthur was clearly lecturing Gwaine on something, poking his chest with his finger. Far from seeming bothered by Arthur’s accusations, Gwaine had his arms crossed and was shaking his head, smiling leisurely.

Merlin sighed. “Same as always. Arthur being the alpha dog, pissing around, that sort of thing.”

Lance laughed. “I assume they're arguing about you.” He sounded amused and Merlin opted to shrug instead of a straight answer. “You don't seem impressed.”

“As far as I know, they always argued before I came and will keep arguing when I leave, so...”

“I won't say you're wrong,” Lance said after some consideration, “but, from what Gwen says, Arthur really cares about you.”

Before Merlin could answer to that, though, they were interrupted by Arthur's arrival.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted, throwing his backpack at Merlin's chest with so much force, Merlin ended up expelling all the air from his lungs. Arthur shook his head. “No wonder you're not a fan of sports. You don't have any instinctive reflexes, do you?”

“I have many talents,” Merlin said with dignity, placing Arthur's bag on the nearest bench. “Playing sports simply isn't one of them.”

“I've yet to see one of your many talents,” Arthur said, raising one eyebrow before sitting down to change his running shoes for his football boots.

“Oh, really?” Merlin retorted. “I thought by this point you'd have learnt to appreciate some of them, but I'll keep in mind not to try so hard to please you, from now on.”

Arthur's eyes narrowed to slits and he snarled, making Lance raise his eyebrows as he stretched.

“Where's Leon?” Lance asked after clearing his throat.

“He said he'd be late,” Arthur said, tossing his shoes at Merlin's lap as he stood. “Put these in my bag,” he barked and began to stretch too, talking to Lance about the match to come.

Merlin pressed his lips in a thin line so as tonot say anything back and shoved Arthur's shoes in the bag.

Arthur stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled to call for his teammates, getting started on the game strategies. While he talked, the others kept moving, warming up. Elyan was doing some impressive kick-ups and Gwaine alternated winks at Merlin's direction and appraising looks towards Percy's legs, which were thick as tree trunks. When Merlin looked up from Percy's legs, Arthur was glaring at him. Merlin offered him a wavering smile, feeling his blood run cold.

“Any questions?” Arthur asked, his eyes lingering on Merlin.

Elyan stopped his kick-ups. “Aren't you playing with us, Merlin?”

“Oh, you don't want me in your team, trust me,” Merlin forced a smile. “I'd be a complete nuisance.”

“There are no professionals here,” Lance added, to what Arthur answered with a “Speak for yourself.”

“We're just having fun,” Percy agreed with Lance.

Merlin shook his head vigorously. “No, thanks.”

“Alright, guys, enough talking. Let's do some kicking,” Arthur said, clapping and shooing his friends to the next goal post. He turned to face Merlin then, pointing two fingers at him in a characteristic gesture. “I got my eye on you, Merlin.”

Merlin watched silently as he moved away. Arthur jogged to the opposite side of the field to shake hands with the other team's captain and exchange a few words, syncing their watches before jogging back to his friends.

“We'll start in fifteen,” Merlin heard Arthur telling his team.

They all got to practice penalty kicks, taking turns defending too. Despite the seriousness of their talking at the beginning, they seemed to be having a good time making fun of each other. When it was Arthur's turn to defend, he looked at Merlin's way for a moment with a crooked smile before addressing Mordred, who was preparing to kick. “Watch this, I'm going to defend like Merlin here! Give it to me, Mordred!”

Mordred kicked and Arthur shrieked, covering his own head and whimpering as the ball hit him on the shoulder; the others cackled. Merlin gave them the finger and they laughed even harder.

Leon arrived when the match was about to begin and run straight to the goal, allowing Percy to take his place on the field. Only half aware of the on-goings, Merlin put his earphones on again, ignoring Will's texts. Will wanted Merlin to go to the mall with him to help him choose a new pair of shoes, but Merlin said he might as well do it alone, since he kept making fun of Merlin's fashion sense.

Percy was the first to score and the others tackled him almost to the ground, in celebration. Percy accepted his friends appreciation with an impassive face, as if he had done nothing out of ordinary.

The opposite team scored next and Arthur ran towards Leon, who shook his head at something he said. Arthur clapped his shoulder before going back to the middle of the field, glancing over Merlin as he jogged. As promised, he wouldn't let five minutes go by without looking his way.

Merlin felt a light touch on his shoulder and took his earphones off, looking up to find a friendly face. “Is this seat taken?”

“Gwen!” Merlin smiled, making room for her on the bench. “I though you wouldn't be able to come!”

“Oh, I found a way,” Gwen sat beside him, setting a heavy looking bag next to her. “Lance didn't make a point of me coming, so I'd chosen to stay home fixing some snacks. Do you want some?” she pulled a sandwich out of the bag.

“Oh, no Gwen,” Merlin practically moaned, “I think I'm falling for you!”

“Merlin!” Merlin startled at hearing Arthur's voice coming from up close and turned to see him standing right in front of him with a serious expression on his face. “Hand me my water,” he pointed to his bag and Merlin fumbled with it to grab the water bottle from the side compartment. “Gwen,” Arthur acknowledged her somewhat sharply.

“Good to see you too, boss,” Gwen answered good-humored. “I brought some snacks for the half time.”

Arthur nodded as he gulped at his water. There was someone from the opposite team spread out on the grass, apparently cramping up.

“Amateurs,” Arthur shook his head, tossing the bottle back at Merlin – who got all tangled up on the attempt to catch it in the air – before jogging backwards with a meaningful look towards Merlin.

“He doesn't seem pleased to see me,” Gwen said, nudging Merlin with her shoulder.

“He doesn't seem pleased to see anyone, today,” Merlin corrected and sighed. “I should've stayed home.”

“Hey, don't feel bad,” Gwen sounded comforting. “Here, have a sandwich. You'll feel better.”

The sandwich didn't ease Merlin's apprehension, but it tasted pretty good. He drunk some of the orange juice Gwen had brought and shared his earphones with her. Sometime later, Arthur received Lance's pass in the chest and shot it straight to the goal. Merlin watched as Arthur's eyes found his only seconds after the ball shook the net. Merlin's insides twisted during the brief instants Arthur's blue eyes pierced him, filled with intent. Merlin knew that look meant something, but couldn't tell exactly what.

In a blink, the rest of the team fell over Arthur, cheering and shouting and the spell was broken. Merlin noticed Gwen celebrating by his side and forced an unsure smile upon his face, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

“You know what?” Gwen said after studying Merlin closely. “If that shot had a name, it'd be Merlin,” she nudged him again.

Merlin frowned. “You mean like he wanted to hit me in the face, with the ball?”

“You know what I meant.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” he averted her eyes.

“Alright!” Gwen raised her hands in surrender. “Forget I ever said anything!”

They kept silent for a moment until Arthur reclaimed the ball from the opposite team as if stealing candy from a small child.

“Sometimes it's easy to forget how good he is at this,” Gwen marveled.

Merlin hummed, unsure of what to say.

“Did you know he was asked to play for a professional team when he finished secondary school?” Gwen said conversationally and Merlin looked at her, speechless. Gwen continued talking, unaware of his astonishment. “I suspect he was tempted to accept, but I guess he had other priorities.”

Merlin nodded, torn between feeling proud and bothered. Learning that Arthur had a hobby and was really good at it wasn't that surprising, but the fact that Merlin had found out about it from Gwen stung somewhat. Besides, Merlin was always learning more about Arthur's past from others, since Arthur hardly volunteered any personal information. Which was unfair, because everyone seemed to know Arthur since forever while Merlin had only got close to him over the past few weeks.

A few minutes later, Leon made a pretty impressive defense and the opposite team asked for a break to reformulate their strategies. Arthur gathered his team close to Merlin's spot on the stands, asking for his water and pouring some of it over his nape. They were all sweaty and a bit breathless, but not nearly as tired as Merlin would've been after half an hour running about on the field. Arthur and Mordred had their faces slightly colored from the heat. The day was cloudy, but the weather was considerably warm and stuffy.

The other boys assaulted Gwen's bag swearing undying love, but Arthur admonished them not to stuff themselves if they didn't wish to stay on the bench for the rest of the match.

“Oh, Gwen!” Gwaine moaned at the first bite. He had taken his shirt off at some point of the game, hanging it on his shorts and Merlin definitely didn't notice how fit he actually was. “I'd propose right now if it wasn't for my dear friend Lance. And for Merlin here,” he added, throwing his hair to the side and grinning. “Don't worry, Merlin. You're still on top of my list, even though you can't make a sandwich.”

“Who says I can't make a sandwich?” Merlin said, outraged.

“Well then it's settled! I'll get the rings, you pick the date!” Gwaine moved to throw an arm around his shoulder, but was stopped when Arthur threw the ball at his stomach. Hard. “Ouch!”

“If Merlin's disgusted face wasn't clue enough, I'll have you know you're stinking, Gwaine,” Arthur said unremorsefully. “No one has to put up with your sweaty carcass.”

“Hey, Gwaine, haven't you forgot someone on your list?” Elyan changed the subject, to Merlin's relief. “I though you and Percy were an item now.”

Percy had sat by Merlin's other side and was quietly chewing on his sandwich, not giving any signs of paying attention to their conversation.

“Really?” Mordred seemed surprised. “I didn't know that.”

“Unlike other people,” Gwaine said, still hunched over his own stomach and quite breathless, “Percy doesn't mind sharing.”

Arthur looked from Gwaine to Percy with a wrinkled forehead. “How can you possibly stand it, Percy?” he asked, seeming unable to wrap his head around it.

Percy turned to face Merlin, who swallowed dryly thinking if it'd be wiser to stay out of the range of those bulky arms before it was too late.

“Are you tempted by his offerings?” Percy asked.

Merlin furiously shook his head. “Not by far.”

“Hey!” Gwaine huffed, offended, but no one paid him any mind.

Percy shrugged. “That's enough for me,” he stated and finished the rest of his snack with one single bite.

Merlin breathed out, relieved.

Arthur shook his head, unbelieving. He checked his watch next. “Alright, time's up. Come on,” he said and crossed his arms, watching as Gwaine put his shirt back on to cover the bruising taking shape on his abdomen.

“I'll score for you, Merlin,” Gwaine promised, running backwards. “Watch out for it!”

Arthur's nostrils flared and Merlin saw when his jaw tensed before he followed Gwaine back to the field.

“God, Gwaine can be more embarrassing then my friend Will, sometimes,” Merlin shook his head.

“I know, right?” Gwen had taken the spot by his side once again. “He used to flirt with me all the time.”

“How did you make it stop?”

“I started dating Lance,” she shrugged. “He tried to spite Lance by continuing, but he's not the jealous type, my Lance. I guess it was no fun anymore.”

Merlin sighed, resigned to his fate. By the way Arthur got all hissy, arched back and shit by Gwaine's teasing, it'd probably never stop being fun.

True to his word, Gwaine was the first to score on second half, after another one of Leon's spectacular defenses.

“This one's for you, Merlin!” Gwaine shouted from the opposite side of the field, forming a heart shape with his hands right to the moment when Arthur bumped into him so hard he nearly fell flat on his face

“What have I done to deserve this?” Merlin whined, blushing out of embarrassment. He noticed Percy was trying not to smile, though. “You know, Arthur has a point. I don't know how Percy can stand this attitude of Gwaine's.”

“Oh, I think he knows Gwaine's harmless most of the time,” Gwen pondered. “Besides, it's not like Percy didn't know him way before. He probably won'tget involved unlesshe cares about Gwaine's attitude.”

The match ended half an hour later with Camelot's – according to Gwen, this was what they called their team – overwhelming four-two win. Merlin didn't see the last score, for it happened while he was refilling Arthur's water bottle, taking the opportunity to use the loo. But Gwen said it was Arthur who shot it again. After shaking hands with their opponents, they all crowded around Gwen for another round of snacks.

“Here,” Arthur had taken his shirt off, rolled it into a ball and thrown it to Merlin, hitting him square in the face.

“Oh, you mean Merlin doesn't have to put up with my sweat but you can rub yours on his face?” Gwaine said, wounded. “Maybe because he's used to it by–”

“Shut your gob, Gwaine,” Arthur threw him a warning glare before grabbing his bottle and taking a gulp, emptying it on the back of his head next. Merlin had to look away not to follow the path of the running water across Arthur's fit body.

“Time to hit the shower, Gwaine,” Percy rounded Gwaine's shoulders with an arm, dragging him to the dressing room.

“Why, Percy, is this an invitation to join you in the shower?” Gwaine asked, allowing himself to be guided, but Percy ignored his question.

Gwen left the bag with what was left of the food and said goodbye to them, following Lance to the parking lot. The other guys had already walked to the dressing room, except for Arthur and Leon, who sat down to finish their snacks.

“You made some impressing catches there, Leon,” Merlin complimented.

Leon smiled. “Thank you.”

“I admit I didn't get it when they took Percy out of the goal. I mean, he'd probably scare the ball away, not to mention he covered most part of the net without having to move a finger, but then I realized the reason why.”

Leon laughed.

Arthur snorted. “He's just too lazy to run about the field,” he said.

Leon shook his head. “Arthur's right, you know. That's precisely why I do my best defending: so he doesn't send me running around the field. Why do you think I'm always late?”

“To skip warm-ups,” Arthur answered. “One of these days you'll be dying of cramps and I'll be laughing at your face.”

“Fair enough,” Leon nodded.

Arthur finished his sandwich and glanced towards the dressing room, frowning.

Leon clapped at his thigh. “Why don't you go take a shower, mate? I'll keep Merlin company.”

Arthur considered the offer for a moment before rising to his feet, taking his bag with him. “I won't be long,” he assured, avoiding Merlin's eyes.

“Do you want to practice some kicks, Merlin?” Leon offered, spinning the ball around.

“No, thanks.”

“Do you want to catch, then?”

“You probably didn't get to watch Arthur mocking my skills with a ball, but it was pretty accurate, really,” Merlin shrugged. “I'm useless. You don't want to see it, believe me. It's embarrassing.”

“I doubt you're as bad as you want me to believe, but that's fine,” Leon put the ball down again, between his feet. “There must be some sport you're good at, though.”

“Um... Actually, I can do a cartwheel!” Merlin said cheerfully.

Leon stared at him, confused. “Cartwheel?”

“Like this,” Merlin stood up, leaving his phone on the bench and took a couple of steps back before performing a circular sideways handspring. “Thank you,” he bowed in appreciation next as Leon, Elyan and Mordred cheered – the latter two had come back from the dressing room right on time to watch his show.

“You see? You’re not that useless, after all,” Leon said, amused. “It seems pretty difficult.”

“You’ve never done cartwheel?” Elyan sounded unbelieving.

Leon shook his head in response.

“Come on, I’ll show you how it's done,” Merlin gestured for Leon to stand up and did a few demonstrations.

Elyan and Mordred joined him, encouraging Leon to try and soon they were all doing handsprings around the field. Elyan took upon himself to increase performance's the level of difficulty, showing Merlin how to do a no-hand back handspring, followed by a somersault.

“You’re pretty good at it!” Merlin praised.

“I used to attend some street dance competition with the kids from my block when I was a teen,” Elyan admitted.

“Seriously?” Merlin marveled. “I’ve never done street dance. But I met an acrobat once. He taught me how to juggle.”

“No shit! You've got to show us, mate!” Elyan looked around, searching for something for him to demonstrate with.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Merlin jumped at hearing Arthur’s voice and spun around to watch as he, Gwaine and Percy came closer wearing clean clothes, their hair wet from the shower.

“Oh, Merlin’s gonna show us some live juggling!” Leon explained excitedly.

“Merlin? Juggling?” Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, arching one eyebrow.

“Can you do it with four?” Elyan asked, offering Merlin the remaining apples from their snack.

Merlin finally looked away from Arthur’s incredulous expression as he accepted the apples from Elyan. The other guys formed a semicircle around them doing some pep talk and Merlin took a deep breath, measuring the weight of the apples tentatively first. He started off with two apples, then added a third and then a fourth while his audience cheered.

Except for Arthur, who had his forehead creased. “How on earth can you do this when you can’t catch shit when I throw it at you?”

“Yes, well, I told you I have many talents,” Merlin snapped back, but Arthur wasn’t paying attention anymore. He reached for the ball at his feet and threw it at Merlin, who winced as it hit him on the arm.

“See? Explain that.”

“I wish I could,” Merlin mumbled, catching the dropped apples and wiping them on his shirt.

“I’ll keep one of these, thanks,” Gwaine took an apple and bit, winking at Merlin next. He hummed. “Delicious.”

“Let’s get going,” Percy said, pulling Gwaine away before Arthur could turn his wrath at him again.

Elyan bid farewell saying he’d go to the gym, Mordred volunteered to keep the balls until next game and Leon distributed what was left of the snacks, following them to the parking lot. Merlin left Arthur and Leon chatting alone and got inside the car, jumping over the passenger door. He put his earphones on and turned his face away, observing as people walked by the nearest building.

Merlin felt the car move as Arthur opened and closed his door. When nothing happened next, Merlin took one earphone off and turned around, facing Arthur’s severe expression.

“What’s your fucking problem, Merlin?” Arthur asked, frowning.

“What’s _my_ problem?” Merlin snapped back, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I told you this was _not_ a date!”

“Of course you told me. You just forgot to mention you _didn’t want_ me to come.”

“And who said–” Arthur started argue, but ended up exhaling forcibly, punching the steering wheel. He buckled up and turned the engine on, leaving the parking lot.

When it became clear Arthur wouldn’t say anymore, Merlin put his earphones back on and faced the opposite side of the street, looking for something to take his mind off the fact that Arthur hadn’t even tried to deny it. When the car took a turn too soon, though, Merlin stared at him. “Where are we going?”

“To mine,” Arthur answered without taking his eyes off the road. “Any objections?”

Merlin didn’t care to answer, straightening up on the car seat, suddenly anxious. He paused the music and took his earphones off for good, barely refraining from checking his own breath. He remembered he had some gum on his pockets and reached for it, trying to ease some of the anxiety as he chewed on it.

.M.

Arthur had barely parked in his building’s garage when he pulled Merlin into a demanding kiss, unbuckling his seat belt.

Merlin hummed, backing off to take his gum out, looking around. “Where can I put this away?”

Arthur fished for one of the petrol station coupons he kept on the glove box and wrapped the gum in it while simultaneously pulling Merlin by the neck, sucking his bottom lip in hungrily, tasting the remaining artificial mint flavor. Merlin held Arthur's upper arm as if keeping him in place, tilting his head to better fit their mouths as they moved.

“Upstairs,” Arthur said into Merlin’s lips, reluctantly letting him go.

They climbed up the stair, too impatient to wait for the lift. Slightly breathless, Arthur pushed Merlin against his apartment's door, breathing over his neck while searching for the keys inside his jeans pocket.

“You think you're the only frustrated one here?” Arthur asked, groping at the doorknob to unlock the it without having to move Merlin away. “Do you have an idea how frustrating it was for me when I scored for you and I couldn't say a word about it? Or when Gwaine scored and rubbed in my face the fact that _everybody_ could dedicate their goals for you _but me_? Or when I scored again and realized you weren't even there to watch it?”

“I was in the loo!” Merlin whimpered. “I couldn't have known–”

Arthur circled his waist to keep Merlin from tumbling down when the door opened behind him. He forced Merlin to step back, closing the door at his own back and turning Merlin around with a rough pull. “Up you go,” Arthur smacked Merlin's butt.

Merlin yelped, but obeyed without questioning. Arthur threw the keys over the balcony and followed Merlin upstairs, his breathing sped up by arousal and by the annoyance of this whole damned day. Arthur knew from the very beginning it had every reason to go all kinds of fucked up, but seeing Merlin gaping at Percy's thighs, Gwaine's abs and Mordred's ass had affected him much more than he was willing to admit. The fact that Merlin had praised Leon's performance and marveled at Elyan's skills, but failed to mention a thing about Arthur's hadn't escaped his notice either. Not to mention that Merlin had proved once again there were still so much Arthur didn't know about him. Since when did Merlin know how to do stunts and juggling, to begin with?

As soon as they reached the bedroom, Merlin spun around to face him, lips parted, eyes attentive and expecting as he walked backwards to the bed. His submissiveness caused some of Arthur's annoyance to fade, though he was still far from appeased. Arthur hadn't planned to bring him home after the game, but he needed to prove to himself that Merlin was his and no one else's.

When Arthur kept staring at him, Merlin stepped from one foot to the other. “Do you want me to undress?” Merlin gripped the hem of his shirt as if he was about to take it off, but Arthur shook his head, stepping closer to him.

“Let me take care of this, Merlin,” Arthur batted Merlin's hand away and pulled him by the waist, kissing him and taking him further backwards, until the underside of Merlin's knees hit the edge of the bed. Arthur fell on top of Merlin, softening the impact by supporting part of his weight with his hands on the mattress. “I'm the only one allowed to undress you, Merlin. No one else. Understood?”

“Yes,” Merlin nodded vigorously.

“Arms up,” Arthur directed. He straddled Merlin's thighs and removed his shirt, then held the boy's wrists up and brought them to the headboard. “Hold it. Don't let go,” he commanded and Merlin complied readily. “Who can touch you like this?” Arthur asked, running his hands through Merlin's sides and watching as his chest expanded and contracted with each shaky breath.

“You, Arthur. Only you,” Merlin gasped and Arthur kissed him on the lips, then licked one of his nipples as he teased the other with the pad of his thumb. He unbuttoned Merlin's jeans next, scratching his teeth over the sensitive skin next to his armpit. Merlin writhed, but kept a firm, white knuckled hold on the headboard, eyes squeezed tight.

“We're heading to Newbury next weekend,” Arthur stated instead of asking and Merlin nodded eagerly. “I want you all to myself the whole weekend, you hear me?”

“Yes,” Merlin said and helpfully lifted his hips up when Arthur removed his jeans and briefs at once, freeing his hard and leaking cock.

“I'll pick you up Friday, after work,” Arthur went on, taking the opportunity to clutch at Merlin's long legs while taking his socks off, “so that we can enjoy it.” He stroked the inside of Merlin's thighs. “Thoughts?”

“Just... perfect,” Merlin stated and arched his back when Arthur licked at the junction of his leg and groin, next to his testicles.

Arthur backed away to undress himself, mindful of Merlin's reaction at each removed piece of cloth. Merlin propped his head to better watch and licked his lips expectantly. When he moved to stretch out his legs, Arthur stopped him with a hand on his ankle. “Don't move.”

Merlin whimpered, but kept his legs bent at the knees and spread, the soles of his feet flat on he mattress. Arthur opened the nightstand drawer and grabbed the lube, popping it open with his thumb. Merlin's breathing became ragged as he watched closely his every move, his cock twitching in anticipation. Arthur smirked and took his time spreading the lube over his fingers before kneeling between Merlin's legs, licking a stripe over his penis from root to head and touching his perineum with slicked fingers.

“Arthur,” Merlin nearly shouted, grabbing the headboard tighter still.

Arthur continued to explore him with fingers and tongue. Ever since Merlin had confessed that he touched himself there, last Friday, Arthur couldn't take his mind off it, feeling aroused and setback at the same time, wishing he could be the only one to touch Merlin's ass. Arthur slipped the pad of his fingers around his rim tantalizing, making Merlin moan and push himself up to Arthur's tongue and down to his finger's.

“Do you fuck yourself with your fingers, Merlin?” Arthur asked between one lick and the other.

“Yes,” Merlin admitted, biting his lower lip.

“How many?” Arthur slipped the tip of his index finger in, meeting little resistance until some point.

“Two.” Merlin gasped. “Sometimes three.”

Arthur grunted and scratched Merlin's thigh with his teeth as he slipped further in, feeling the muscles tightening around his finger.

“Ah! Please, Arthur,” Merlin wiggled his hips again and Arthur moved his finger in and out, breathing hot air on Merlin's angry-red dick, watching as it jerked.

“You'll have to hold back this time, Merlin,” Arthur teased and Merlin's whine appeased some part of Arthur which wanted to make the boy pay for ogling at his friends at the club.

Arthur took his finger out and touched him with two next, exploring and testing before pushing in slowly. Merlin's inner muscles resisted a bit this time and Arthur ignored Merlin's protests as he smeared more lube before trying again. He lapped at Merlin's glans and waited for him to relax to push past the narrow resistance of his inner ring, burying his knuckles as deep as they'd go.

Merlin moaned his approval and Arthur moved his fingers, scissoring them slowly, abandoning Merlin's cock to lick the salty skin of his groin. Arthur was so desperate for some friction, the mere brush of his erection over the mattress was killing him.

“Arthur... Please...”

“Hold on some more,” Arthur said, trying to disguise his own shallow breathing as he removed his fingers again.

He should stop right there. He should suck Merlin and finish it quickly so that he could take Merlin home before sunset. But he couldn't stop picturing Merlin fucking himself with his fingers and crying Arthur's name in his own room, where Arthur couldn't see him or touch him.

“Three, you said?” Arthur asked, licking the bitter pre-come gathering on the tip of Merlin's penis before wrapping his lips around him, sucking lightly while slipping three fingers inside his tight ass.

Merlin's hands were lean, his knuckles slim, so it was no wonder Arthur was stretching him more than he was used to, since his own fingers were thicker. Merlin's cock, though, looked harder than ever. If he was experiencing pain in some degree, it probably wasn't greater than the pleasure.

“Arthur... _please_...” Merlin begged again, face and neck flushed.

Arthur slipped his fingers out of Merlin and moved up to hold his wrists, lowering them and kissing his knuckles, taking the opportunity to catch his breath.

Merlin stared at him with his fringe plastered to his forehead, eyes dark and glowing. “I want your cock in me, Arthur,” he said, reaching for Arthur's erection and it was Arthur's turn to moan, pressing his forehead to Merlin's chest.

“Fuck, Merlin.” Grunting, Arthur took Merlin's hand away, aligning their bodies and kissing him open mouthed as their erections brushed together. Merlin tangled his legs around Arthur, grinding against him.

Why didMerlin have to make everything harder for him? Arthur had everything planned out. He'd take Merlin to his father's cottage and make love to him the whole weekend the way he deserved to be loved, with no hurries, no worries, carefully and tenderly. This encounter, even though unplanned, could help Merlin relax and prepare for the next weekend. But Merlin had to go on and beg like that, ruining whatever little control he had left.

“Please, Arthur,” Merlin panted again into Arthur's mouth, whose resolve shattered to pieces.

With a snarl from deep down his throat, Arthur reached for the nightstand drawer and took a condom, ripping the package open with his teeth before rolling it on. Startled by the sudden movement, Merlin had looked up, but he soon leaned his head on the mattress again, spreading his legs open once more to make room for Arthur to kneel between them, his chest heaving. Arthur smeared some more lube over the condom before grabbing Merlin's legs and lifting his hips to ease access.

The position wasn't helping, though, since his dick kept slipping up every time he tried to push inside Merlin's opening. Arthur took a deep breath to calm himself and gabbed a pillow, folding it in half and placing it under Merlin's hips. He was determined to find the most comfortable – or least uncomfortable – position for Merlin so that he could go easy.

“Tell me if it hurts.” Arthur guided his own cock, pushing the head slowly in, aware of every twitch of Merlin's muscles and every shift of his focused expression.

When he reached the tight resistance of his inner ring and saw the wrinkle on Merlin's forehead go deeper, Arthur stopped and jerked Merlin's cock slowly for a bit. “Relax, Merlin,” he said between gritted teeth.

“I'm–” Merlin began to says something, but seemed lost in the middle of the sentence. He bit his lip and closed his eyes tight in something entirely different from pleasure.

“We better stop.”

“No!” Merlin held his arm in place before he could pull out. “I can do it.”

“It's not about that, Merlin,” Arthur shut his eyes. “I'm hurting you.”

“Just a bit more,” Merlin insisted and Arthur was won by the boy's pleading look.

Arthur pushed a bit more and seized the brief relaxing of the muscles to move in slowly.

Merlin grumbled and hit his hand on the mattress as he exhaled, squeezing him almost painfully. “Take it out! Take it out, please!” he asked and Arthur cursed, withdrawing immediately.

Arthur lay down on top of Merlin. “Shh, it's okay, it's okay,” he said between pecks on the boy's face, thumbing at his forehead to try and smooth out some of the creases there. “We can try it again some other day. No problem.”

Arthur reached down to take the condom off, but Merlin stopped him, facing him with a determined look. “No. I wanna try again now.”

“Merlin–”

“Just one more time, Arthur. Just this one, I promise. If I can't take it, we give up for today. Please, Arthur, _please_.”

Arthur released the air from his lungs, shaking his head, but kissed him on the lips. “You stupid, stupid kid.”

Arthur tested his opening with his fingers again, gripping his thigh next. “Turn around,” he said, taking the pillow from bellow him.

“Why?”

“On your fours. Let's try it in another position.”

Merlin nodded, rolling around. Arthur positioned the pillow again so that Merlin could rest his head and pushed his shoulders down gently, encouraging him to lower his upper half, keeping his hips up.

“Turn your face to me,” Arthur instructed and Merlin turned his neck to the side as far as he could. “Good,” Arthur held his cheek firmly. “Stay like this, alright?”

Merlin nodded and Arthur kneeled between his legs once again. Arthur jerked at his own cock a couple of times, spreading the lube before starting to push in one more time, attentive to Merlin's expression. “Touch yourself.”

Merlin moved right away, his eyes closing and his breathing suddenly shallower as he touched his own penis, his forehead creasing at every inch Arthur breached in. Arthur swallowed a curse when his glans were swallowed by the heat and tightness of Merlin's interior and felt the boy's knees giving in, making Arthur sink deeper.

Arthur watched closely as Merlin's throat worked when he swallowed, but no sound came out of it, only a gasp. Arthur forced a bit forward, always slowly, waiting for some reaction, but Merlin merely swallowed dry.

“Say something, Merlin,” Arthur instigated, still moving deeper, this time eliciting a groan from the boy. He froze, certain that it was out of pain.

“Keep going,” Merlin said in spite of that, the hand with which he was stroking himself moving faster still as he tightened his grip on the pillow with the other hand.

Arthur started to work himself in and out, then. Something had changed on Merlin's expression, despite the fact that he kept frowning. Next thing, Arthur realized he was all in, and they were both lying down, Arthur on top of Merlin. Merlin had relaxed enough for Arthur to move more freely, pushing in and out with a longer drive of his hip.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Merlin gasped. “Fas–” he swallowed. “Faster.”

“Fuck, Merlin,” Arthur increased the pace of his thrusts.

Merlin's lips parted, his breathing coming out in short puffs. He cried out suddenly, burying his face in the pillow and pushing himself into Arthur's dick a few times, clenching at it almost unbearably tight. Arthur considered pulling out, but then Merlin's body went lax under him.

“Did you come?” Arthur asked, shocked, as he withdrew.

A sob was Merlin's only answer. His hand was wet when he took it from under his own body.

Cursing furiously, Arthur took the condom off and supported his weight with one hand, jerking himself with rapid, hard strokes, hunching over Merlin as he felt his own orgasm closing up on him. Pleasure hit him in solid waves and he came all over Merlin's back, panting.

He wiped out his own mess with the sheets and sprawled out over the boy next, holding his cheek with one hand as the worry hit him like a slap to the face. “Are you alright?”

Merlin smiled softly, his forehead a bit creased yet as he opened his eyes lazily. “I'm more than alright,” he mumbled and tried to get up from under him, but Arthur kept him in place with his own weight and planted a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. When he looked again, Merlin had closed his eyes, his face finally relaxed.

Arthur kissed Merlin's chin, his jaw, felt the pulse over his neck for a moment while cursing himself inside. _What have I done?_ he though, hating himself. All those plans, all those arguing and weighting to end up losing control like that? This was supposed to be the most important, most memorable remembrance, something Merlin could cherish for the rest of his life. Instead, Arthur had fucked itall up because of his incapacity to contain himself.

“Hm,” Merlin mumbled. “Heavy.”

Arthur rolled to the side, then, and Merlin settled closer, cuddling to him with a sigh. Arthur kissed his forehead, checking his watch. It was a quarter past six.

“Go to sleep, baby,” Arthur whispered into his ear, caressing his back, nape and scalp.

.M.

Merlin woke up to Arthur trying to extricate himself from under him. He eased his weight off Arthur and the movement caused a stab of pain. It made him focus his thoughts again, but only partially; he still had no idea what time or day it was. The light filtering throw the window could mean both sunset or sunrise.

“Where're you going?” Merlin grumbled a bit stupidly when Arthur sat up on the mattress.

Merlin knew he shouldn't expect to be coddled by Arthur now, simply because they had sex – 'all the way' sex –, after all Arthur wasn't really warm the other times Merlin had woken up in his bed. But still, Merlin felt disappointed by the fact that Arthur was moving away without any kind of fondling gesture.

“Your phone was ringing,” Arthur said, rubbing at his eyes.

“Oh, shit,” Merlin moved to sit up with a weird sensation on his insides, but Arthur placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Let me.”

Frowning, Merlin watched as Arthur circled the bet, still stark naked, and grabbed Merlin's jeans from the floor, taking his phone out and handing it to Merlin. The first thing Merlin noticed was the time: ten past eight in the evening. Second, the missing call was from his home.

“Oh, it's mom,” Merlin grunted.

Arthur took a deep breath and shook his head, visibly setback. “Tell her we're on our way,” he said, finishing collecting the rest of their clothes and placing them on the edge of the bed. “I'll take a quick shower, meanwhile. You should shower too,” he pointed to the mess of dried semen on Merlin's stomach.

With a resigned sigh, Merlin pressed the button to call back, wincing as he sat up, now that Arthur wasn't there to witness his grimace.

“I'm sorry I didn't answer,” Merlin said as soon as his mother picked up. “ I didn't hear it ringing.”

“ _Are you coming for dinner?_ ” Hunith asked and Merlin breathed out in relief as soon as he noticed she didn't sound angry.

“Yeah, we're on our way,” Merlin covered himself up with the sheet, even though his mom couldn't see him naked.

“ _Great. Ask Arthur to join us._ ”

“Oh, mum, I don't think he–”

“ _Just ask him, will you? Go on, I'll wait._ ”

Cursing under his breath, Merlin turned his face to the side, hoping his mother wouldn't hear the shower running. “Er... He's not here now. He's... in the dressing room, taking a shower. But I'll ask him as soon as he comes back.”

“ _Alright. Tell him it's nothing fancy, just roasted chicken and potatoes, but you both must be starving._ ”

“Right.” Merlin hung up and folded his clothes in an attempt to unwrinkle them.

“You coming?” Arthur asked from the bathroom.

Merlin hurried in there, waiting for Arthur to get out of the box and trying not to look embarrassed while at it.

Arthur, though, was moving leisurely bellow the water spray. “Try not to wet your hair,” he warned, frowning in apparent disapproval before leaving the box. “There's no time for it to dry up.”

“Okay,” Merlin tried to cover himself as much as he could while entering the shower. He had to refrain from the impulse to step into the hot water head first.

“What did your mother say?” Arthur asked as he finished toweling himself.

“Um... She invited you to have dinner with us?” Merlin pulled a face, avoiding Arthur's look through the see-through glass as he rubbed himself clean, giving special attention to the gross mess clinging to the hair on his belly.

“Oh,” Arthur sounded surprised.

“But don't worry. I can totally tell her you already have plans.”

“And why would you do it?” Arthur squinted at him. “You don't want me to go?”

“No! I mean, yes, I do! I mean, you don't have to accept it, you know? It's nothing fancy, just roasted chicken and potatoes and–”

“Sounds great to me,” Arthur cut him off, sounding slightly offended.

“You don't mind?” Merlin made sure to confirm.

“Why would I?” Arthur positioned himself in front of the box opening to stare at him, seeming almost hurt. “After all this time, you still think me snob to this point?”

Merlin breathed out noisily, slumping. “That's not what I meant,” he said, to what Arthur's eyes narrowed in suspicion again. “I'm just giving you a chance to avoid the awkwardness of it all. I mean, she's my mother, I know how embarrassing she can be.”

“She's not embarrassing in the slightest,” Arthur promptly came to Hunith's defense. “She's a very sweet woman. Besides, it makes sense that I accept the invitation. If we were coming back from the club at this time, I wouldn't turn down dinner.”

“Right,” Merlin said, unsure, sneaking a few surreptitious looks as Arthur combed his hair before leaving to get dressed.

Merlin finished rinsing and turned the shower off, drying off quickly and going back to the bedroom, cursing himself for not having taken his clothes with him to the bathroom. He'd been abashed enough comparing their bodies during the sex. The door to the closet was ajar and Merlin could see Arthur's reflextion on one of the mirrors inside as he dressed. Walking around naked in front of him could surpass embarrassment levels while Arthur, for his turn, made it look like he was born to parade his glorious nakedness.

Arthur had that distant air again. Merlin didn't know if he could deal with it on top of having to sit at the table with his mom and his... supervisor-slash-secret lover. Especially not after finally losing his virginity to said supervisor-slash-lover.

“Are you feeling alright?” Arthur asked, locking the closet as he stepped out of it.

Merlin hadn't realized the silence that had stretched until Arthur broke it and only then he noticed he was standing in the middle of the room holding his shoes in one hand and his socks in the other. Arthur had his brow furrowed in that particular way Merlin could never tell if it was out of anger or simple annoyance.

Merlin slumped. “Are you mad at me?” Merlin ended up asking, adding confusion to Arthur's already too complex expression.

“What? Why would I be mad at you, Merlin?”

“Because I forced you to take me to the club? Because I pushed you to shag me? Because I bollocksed up your careful planning? I don't know, pick one reason.”

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur sounded tired for a moment before hugging him, making Merlin drop his shoes and socks in surprise for the warm reaction. “You stupid brat. I'm not mad at you. And you didn't push me to do anything, you hear me? I wanted it as much as you did, are we clear?”

“Yeah,” Merlin said at Arthur's vehemence.

“I'm just worried about you. Did I hurt you? Are you sore?”

“A bit.” Merlin was just slightly lying, unwilling to worry him too much. “But it's not a bad sore.”

He had been careful not to let it show at the time so that Arthur didn't regret giving in to his pleas, but it was one thing feeling pain and pleasure at the same time and something other entirely the uncomfortable feeling that was left now. Yet, every time Merlin remembered why he was feeling like this, his contentment overshadowed the ache.

Arthur sighed and kissed his shoulder. “You really bollocksed up my plans,” he said, running his hand through Merlin's hair.

Merlin allowed to be fondled, resting his chin on Arthur's shoulder. “I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not, actually. It was perfect. _You_ were perfect.”

Arthur didn't seem that convinced, judging by the way he snorted.

“Do you still want me to go with you to Newbury next weekend?” Merlin asked, recalling what Arthur said while teasing him.

“Of course I want you to,” Arthur leaned back to stare at him. “Do you still want to go?”

“Yeah,” Merlin answered readily.

“Good. Now hurry up and finish getting dressed already,” he let go of Merlin and went back to the bathroom, taking Merlin's wet towel with him.

Unlike before, the silence that filled the car throughout the ride to Merlin's home was comfortable, partly because of the way Arthur kept looking at Merlin as if checking on him and partly because he held Merlin's hand nearly all the way, driving one-handed. More than once, Merlin had to look away to hide his beaming smile.

“Are you sure it's alright for me to go inside?” Arthur asked after parking in front of the building.

“I'll probably regret this later, but,” Merlin sighed, opening the car door, “yes, of course it's alright, Arthur.”

.M.

While Merlin was busy unlocking the door to his apartment, Arthur took a deep breath to try and ease some of his jittering. He wasn't used to this kind of apprehension. His work required him to charm people on a daily basis, after all, and Arthur had no doubt he was pretty good at what he did. He had improved this skill all his life, learning to read people's body language and tell exactly what they'd like to hear; stroke their egos without sounding like a smarmy and so on.

It wouldn't be the first time Arthur would talk to Merlin's mother, but the situation had changed since. Arthur was breaking new ground, actually. His ex-girlfriends were pretty independent in that sense, they lived alone and visited their family mostly during winter holidays. For this reason Arthur had never felt obliged to impress anyone. And, to make matters worse, Arthur had never known what it was to have a mother.

All things considered, there was no denying that Hunith Emrys terrified him.

“Come on,” Merlin said, opening the door. “Mom, we're here!”

Arthur hid any suggestion of edginess off his own stance, putting his undisturbed mask on again as Merlin stepped to the side for him to walk in. Merlin's apartment was pretty simple and exuded caring and coziness in such a personal level Arthur felt overwhelmed by it even as he stepped in for the second time. Having lived in large, spacious and completely impersonal houses all his life, Arthur could recognize a welcoming home at first sight.

“Oh, there you are,” said Hunith, peeking at the entry hall from the kitchen. She had her hair pulled up and her face colored by the heat, which seemed to intensify as Arthur got closer to her, where she stood by the oven.

“Mrs. Emrys,” Arthur reached out to shake her hand in a reflexive formal gesture.

“Hunith, please,” she smiled kindly, wiping her hand on the apron before accepting the handshake. “I'm glad you came, Arthur.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” Arthur said, trying to sound as sincere as he actually felt. “If only I've known before I'd have brought wine or some dessert–”

“Oh, don't be silly,” Hunith dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. “This is none of the posh dinners you're certainly used to attend, I assure you. I hope you like chicken and vegetables.”

“Who doesn't?” Arthur said, disguising his nerves with a high spirited tone.

“Make yourself comfortable, then. It's almost ready. Merlin, see Arthur to the washing room and help me set the table.”

“This way, Your Highness,” Merlin bowed with a flourish and Arthur arched an eyebrow at him, but followed him to the small hallway. “The bathroom is the second door. Go easy on the cabinet door it'll tumble allover you if you open too quickly.”

“Why would I open the cabinet door?” Arthur asked, confused.

“Just saying,” Merlin raised his hands in a peace gesture.

Arthur got in the narrow loo – which was almost the size of his shower box – and took a deep breath again, leaning over the sink and looking his own reflex in the eye. “Stop being a coward, Arthur,” he told himself.

Arthur washed his hands, dried them and looked around again, remembering what Merlin had said about the cabinet door. Everything looked clean, although old and worn. Arthur could hear Hunith's voice from the kitchen and the clatter of dishes.

“ _And make sure to pick the new silverware; the old ones are crooked,_ ” Arthur heard Hunith say as he left the bathroom. “ _Wipe them with a clean tablecloth before putting them on the table, to clear the fingerprints_.”

“ _On second thought, no wonder you and Arthur get along so well,_ ” was Merlin's reply. “ _You both love to boss me around._ ”

“ _Oh, stop whining and do as I say!_ ” came Hunith's retort.

Arthur smiled to himself. Instead of going back to the kitchen, though, he sneaked a peek inside the door by the end of the hallway, which was slightly open. When his eyes met the boots beside the single bed, he knew for a fact it was Merlin's room. It was all very tidy, there were no clothes hanging over the place and the bedcover was neatly smoothed over the mattress. There were a few decorative objects on a small desk, beside an ancient desktop. Arthur would love to examine every detail of the room, but opted to go back to the kitchen, were he found Merlin crouching with his head tucked in one of the cupboards.

Merlin's voice sounded muffled as he spoke. “Would it make any difference if I told you not to embarrass me in front of my boss?”

“You don't need anyone to do thatfor you, Merlin,” Arthur said, making sure only Merlin could hear him.

Merlin knocked his head on the shelf above and cursed under his breath.

“Merlin, turn the telly on for Arthur,” Hunith said over the noise from the water running as she rinsed something.

“There's no need to, Hunith,” Arthur assured. “Can I be of help?”

“Why, of course,” Merlin answered before his mother could tell him off and shoved the plates at him. “I thought you'd never ask!”

“Don't get used to it,” Arthur said warningly.

As soon as they set the table, Hunith asked them to take their seats. Arthur watched Merlin wince as he sat down and squinted at him as their eyes met. Looking like a busted kid, Merlin looked away.

Arthur offered to help Hunith by taking the tray out of the oven, but she refused his assistance.

“Some tray it is!” Arthur said, noticing the patterns on the blue glass and he saw by the corner of his eye Merlin exaggeratedly rolling his eyes before face-palming. Arthur frowned, wondering if he had overdone it, but Hunith looked pleased by the compliment to her china.

“Oh, thank you, Arthur,” she smiled, dressing the chicken with sauce. “It's quite old, in fact. It's one of my few remaining wedding gifts. I'm sure you have prettier trays, but it was kind of you to notice. Pass me your plate, will you?”

“On the contrary, I have no trays whatsoever,” Arthur said, holding his plate for her to serve some chicken and a generous portion of colored potatoes. The smell was mouthwatering. “I'm completely useless in a kitchen, so I didn't see a point to equip it with something beyond the essential.”

“You live by yourself and you don't cook?” Hunith wondered, serving Merlin next.

“Well,” Arthur frowned, trying to think of some excuse so as to not sound like a snob, spoiled rich boy, but Hunith stopped him with a comprehensive expression on her face.

“Your schedule must be quite busy, I understand. I'm sure you'd learn if you had the time.”

“No mum,” Merlin said. “He's not being modest when he says he's completely useless, believe me. I've seen the state of his frying pan and I can assure you it has never been used before.”

Arthur covered his annoyance with a shrug. “Merlin probably knows my kitchen better than I do.”

“Probably?” Merlin snorted. “I've used your kitchen more than you ever have!”

Arthur experienced some kind of panic at those words and he pressed his lips in a thin line, sending Merlin a reprimanding look.

Merlin's eyes nearly popped out. “N-Not that I have been there that many times,” Merlin added, flustered, and Arthur cursed internally. “Which proves my point, actually.”

Fortunately, Hunith didn't seem to have noticed anything suspicious in that conversation. She kept slicing the chicken, instructing them to help themselves with the vegetables – broccoli, carrots and peas.

Arthur hummed. “This is delicious,” he said honestly.

Hunith smiled again. “Oh, you're very kind, my dear,” she answered and Arthur congratulated himself at noticing the satisfaction in her voice. “Thank you for accepting to come on such a short notice. From what I hear from Merlin, you must be very busy.”

“Not enough to decline such an invitation,” Arthur assured.

Merlin rolled his eyes dramatically, making sure Arthur saw it. “Don't encourage him, mum, or else we'll have another mouth to feed,” Merlin mocked.

Arthur barely refrained the urge to kick him in the shin.

“Gaius speaks very highly of you,” Hunith continued, unaware of their bickering. “He holds you and your sister in high regard.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Arthur said frankly, glad for the change of topic. “Gaius always treated me much better than I deserved, even when I was nothing but a troublemaker brat visiting my father's workplace. I was quite a handful, honestly.”

“Oh, I hope Merlin isn't giving you too much trouble...”

“No, mum, you got it wrong,” Merlin said before Arthur had the chance to answer. “He's my boss. He gives me all the trouble.”

“He's not that bad,” Arthur pretended to ignore Merlin's comment. “He _is_ a bit clumsy, though. Keeps spilling my drink on the carpet–”

“Hey, it happened just _that once_ –”

“–and misplacing my things. I'm tired of replacing my staple remover for I can never find mine–”

“Well, maybe you'd find more of your stuff if your desk wasn't always so crammed–”

“He was always clumsy indeed,” Hunith agreed, looking at Arthur with a pained expression. “And absent-minded. He keeps losing his phone around the house and has to call it from the landline to find it.”

“Hey, I'm right here!” Merlin sounded frustrated, but Arthur ignored him again, careful not to turn his attention away from his hostess.

“When he was a kid,” Hunith continued and Arthur forced the corner of his lips down not to smile when Merlin groaned, hiding his face behind his opened palms, “he kept breaking my china. I always loved collecting some knickknacks, you know? But I ended up giving up on replacing them until he broke them all. He broke last one last week, actually–”

“I told you it was knocked by the drape!” Merlin readily defended himself. “It was a windy day!”

“The windows were locked when I came home,” Hunith retorted, skeptical.

“Because I had already closed it!” Merlin insisted.

Arthur covered his laugh with a cough.

“Well, it doesn't really matter,” Hunith turned back to Arthur. “Merlin tells me he's going to work full-time, starting next week!”

“Oh, yes, about that,” Arthur wiped his mouth on a paper napkin, trying not to look as guilty as he felt at hearing those words, although she didn't sound upset. “Actually, I was the one to suggest it, so that he could join me on the morning visits to our clients. I hope it didn't cause any trouble,” he finished in an apologetic tone.

“Not at all,” Hunith said and Arthur felt relieved. “It makes me feel more at ease, to be honest. This way I know he's not alone at home while I'm working. We're lucky to live in a very peaceful a safe neighborhood, but you never know.”

“I don't know if you've noticed it yet, mom, but I'm not a kid anymore,” Merlin said. “And I'm not completely helpless either.”

“Of course, Merlin,” Arthur said in a condescending tone. “I'm sure you can make anyone quiver with your nervous babbling, but I think your mother prefers not to take any risks, nonetheless.”

“Very funny,” Merlin sent him a wounded look.

He probably though Arthur was taking his mother side again only to contradict him, but the truth was Arthur could sympathize with that protective side of Hunith's. “Don't worry, Hunith,” he said, sending a meaningful look at Merlin. “I'll keep an eye on him all the time. Especially when out of the workplace.”

“I'm confident you will,” Hunith said surely. “And I'm grateful for it. I can tell by the way you take care of Merlin that one day you'll be a great father.”

Hunith's words made him cough for real this time, nearly chocking on the peas. It had definitely caught him off guard. Hunith though Arthur took care of Merlin like a father to a son? Christ, if only she knew.

“ _Mum_!” Merlin squeaked, sounding mortified.

“Did I say something wrong?” Hunith frowned. “I know people marry older, nowadays, but Arthur's a grown man. Do you plan on getting married, Arthur?”

Merlin face-palmed again and Arthur sipped at his juice to buy some more time before answering. “One day, maybe. I haven't given it much thought, to be honest,” Arthur lied.

Not long ago, Arthur had been seriously contemplating proposing to Mithian, after all.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Hunith pressed on.

“No,” Arthur said unblinkingly and saw out of the corner of his eye when Merlin peeked between his fingers, but avoided looking his way. “Not at the moment, no.”

Arthur convinced himself he wasn't technically lying, while holding Hunith's eyes, but guilt made him look down to his plate again, swallowing.

“Maybe when you find the right person, then.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Arthur nodded, looking up and meeting Merlin's eyes this time, wondering if Merlin _wanted_ to be that person. Did Merlin ever dream of getting married? He was probably too young to think about it, but Arthur knew him to be pretty mature for his age and could bet he was romantic to that extent.

Merlin's cheekbones colored slightly and Arthur turned back to his plate, clearing his throat and mentally shaking himself. “These potatoes are pretty good,” he said, desperate for a change of topic. But the truth was he wasn't exaggerating on the compliments. Hunith was, undoubtedly, an excellent cook and Arthur hadn't noticed how much he missed home cooked meals until this very moment. “Now I understand why Merlin seems so found of potatoes.”

That distracted Hunith for a moment, when she started talking about Merlin's eating habits and Arthur was shocked to realize he had already guessed almost everything she said. Merlin looked a bit embarrassed, but resigned. Arthur pointed at Merlin's plate when Hunith was otherwise distracted and Merlin rolled his eyes, resuming eating his vegetables.

Merlin didn't participate much inthe following conversation, but Arthur thought he had the right to act like a sulky teenager in his own house. Arthur felt more at ease as they talked and Hunith seemed comfortable as well. Arthur knew when he had earned someone's trust by the way they stood more relaxed and unguarded, as it seemed to be the case with Hunith. Only then did Arthur figure out she had probably been as tense as he was, at first, feeling obliged to entertain her guest as much as Arthur felt the need to please his hostess.

“Oh, and thank you for the window paint,” Hunith said when they finished eating. “Merlin said you gave it to him. He painted all of the windows over the weekends, last month.”

“Well, since you brought it up” Arthur wiped his lips on the napkin again, having cleaned his plate for the second time. He had regained control over himself enough to approach a delicate matter such as this one. “I was thinking about taking Merlin with me to Newbury next weekend to assist me in some chores, if you don't mind.”

“Of course I don't mind,” Hunith turned to face Merlin. “And I'm sure Merlin'll be glad to be of help, right, Merlin?”

“Sure,” Merlin shrugged, avoiding Arthur's eyes.

“I have plenty to do there, actually,” Arthur went on, careful to sound very serious. “I was planning on going on Friday night, so that we could start up early on Saturday.”

“Fine by me,” Merlin pressed his lips tight.

“I can fix some snacks for you to take with you, if you'd like,” Hunith offered. “Even some proper food, if you prefer. That way you don't have to worry about fixing meals.”

“Oh,” Arthur was taken by surprise by the offering. “That'd be great. But only if you accept for me to pay for the groceries.”

“Don't be silly, sweet heart,” said Hunith and Arthur felt heat spreading over his face at the way she addressed him.

“I insist.”

“Well, then,” Hunith agreed.

“Deal,” Arthur nodded. “I'll send Merlin a check by the week.”

After politely thanking for dinner, Arthur said goodbye and Merlin offered to walk him to the car.

“So,” Merlin teased while they walked down the four flights of stairs – Merlin's building didn't have a lift, by it was no wonder. “In addition to lying to my mom, you also allowed her to cook for us?”

“Oh, shut it,” Arthur said, looking over Merlin's shoulder to make sure there was no one around before circling Merlin's waist. “As it happens, I didn't lie to your mother. I plan on keeping you very busy the whole weekend. I simply didn't mention how, exactly.”

“Prat,” Merlin said, but came willingly when Arthur pulled him closer and looped his arms around Arthur's neck when they kissed.

“Are you alright?” Arthur asked, sliding his hands to the swell of Merlin's butt. “And don't lie to me. I saw your face when you sat down.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I'm fine. I'm not made of glass, you know?”

Arthur cupped his chin, thumbing lightly at his lower lip. “Sometimes I wonder,” Arthur smiled as Merlin rolled his eyes again. “This week won't go fast enough, will it?” Arthur whispered into his mouth.

“Not even close,” Merlin whispered back.

“I can't wait to have you to myself again.”

“Me neither.”

They joined their mouths in a longing kiss and resumed their descent holding hands. Arthur smiled to himself at seeing the joy showing on Merlin's face as he grinned, waving at him from the building's entry. Shaking his head, Arthur turned the engine on and stepped on the gas.

This day hadn't gone as planned in the slightest, but maybe the ending result had turned out positive. Surprisingly positive, in fact. Arthur turned the radio on and whistled in tune while getting started on his plans for the weekend.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time, anal fingering, anal sex, also Arthur makes fun of Merlin in front of his friends, but I'm pretty sure that's canon, so nothing new here...


	16. Part 2 - Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning by the end of the chapter!

**Chapter 15**

**24th week**

“Well, well, look who just happened to show up,” Will said at spotting him. “Merlin, the traitor.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. “I don't know why you cared to ask me to go with you, since you keep saying I won't graduate on Queerness for failing the fashion tests.”

“This is _not_ about you abandoning me last Sunday, forcing me to go to the mall by myself,” Will clarified, leaning into the counter of the shop. “This is about you abandoning me last Sunday, forcing me to go to the mall by myself while you went to the club with your new friends to do some _kick about_.”

“What–? How–?” Merlin stuttered. He didn't remember telling Will exactly what were his plans for the weekend.

“I called your house. Your mom said you went to the club to play footie with Pendragon and Co.” Will sounded deeply hurt. “Since when do you play football?”

“I don't! And I didn't!” Merlin made it clear. “I simply watched the guys playing.”

“Oh, so I have to beg for you to play Fifa with me, since you _can't stand_ football, but all it takes is for Pendragon to snap his fingers and you go running to watch him play? Some friend, you are.”

Merlin sighed. “Don't be ridiculous, Will.” He knew Will was being overly dramatic just so that Merlin felt bad, but the trouble was it was working. It always worked, actually. “Okay, fine, I'll go play with you sometime this week, I promise.”

Will squinted at him for a moment before nodding his agreement. “Fine. Stop by Saturday afternoon, then, and–”

“Er...” Merlin scratched at his nape. “How about I go on a weekday? You aren't taking the evening shifts over the break, are you?”

“No, but the thing is I know you too well,” Will pointed an accusing finger at Merlin's chest. “I know you'll keep making excuses about waking up early the next day and shit like that and won't play for real. What's wrong with Saturday afternoon?”

“It's just I already have plans for the weekend,” Merlin admitted.

“You mean the whole weekend?” Will sounded indignant. “What kind of plans? Are you going to Ireland with your mom?”

“Actually, I'll go to Newbury with Arthur. He has a cottage there and–”

“Of course, I should have guessed it from the start,” Will punched the counter top. “It had Pendragon's fingerprints all over it. First you show up with new clothes, then the fucking _watch_ and the hairspray smelling of fruit chewing gum–”

“It doesn't smells like fruit chewing gum,” Merlin mumbled, offended, as he carded his hands through his hair as if to soothe it.

“–then you seem pretty familiar with your boss' apartment and now he's taking you on a road trip by the weekend–“

“It's nothing like that!” Merlin tried to defend himself, but Will didn't let him.

“Come on, admit it, Pendragon is pimping you or something, isn't he?”

“He's not–” Merlin trailed off, confused. “ _What_?”

“Did he promise you a position at some shady hotel in fucking _Tailand_ or something, which makes generous money, but's off the books?”

“The fuck are you on about, Will?”

“I mean to say I can squeal on him to the cops, if you'd like. And you can walk free again. Whatever the hold he says he has on you, man-whoring's not the only way I guy can–”

“Shut _up_ , Will!” Merlin covered his friend's mouth with his hand, looking around them with mortification. Fortunately the shop was clear except for the both of them. “Stop talking bullshit! If Gaius hears this– Fuck!” Grossed out, Merlin pulled his hand away, when Will licked his hand.

“If it's not that, what _is_ it, then?” Will crossed his arms over his chest. “You might not recall your first weeks of internship, but I remember too well how you used to come to me huffing and puffing, telling me how much of an overbearing pumpkin headed–“

“Cabbage headed,” Merlin corrected him instinctively.

“–motherfucker sucker–”

“Hey, I never said that!”

“–your boss was and how much you hated the shit out of him. Now you let him treat you like his fucking lap dog and–”

“Alright, you made your point already!” Merlin cut him off. “Fine, I admit my first impression of Arthur wasn't great, but a lot of stuff has happened since then.”

“What kind of stuff? What are you keeping from me, Merlin? I'm guessing it's something pretty fucked up, if you don't want to tell even your _best friend_!”

Merlin took a deep breath before meeting his eyes again. “It's nothing like that, okay? I just happened to know Arthur better and it turns out he isn't that bad. He's pretty decent, actually. And I'm making good money out of this internship. I've also made some odd jobs for him and–”

“Odd jobs, you said?” Will asked, predictably.

“I've assisted Arthur at the cottage before, mowing lawn, painting the windows, that sort of stuff.”

“You're still as pure and innocent as ever, then?”

“God, Will...” Merlin face-palmed. “For the last time, I'm not a fucking whore, you hear me?”

Will snorted. He fixed his eyes on Merlin for a while and Merlin fidgeted, incapable of holding his friend's gaze for too long. “Alright. Come by tomorrow night.”

“Deal,” Merlin breathed out, looking around again. “Where's Gaius, by the way?”

“He said he had to take care of something at the bank, but I bet he went back to bed and left me here like a fucking idiot. Who wakes up this early on a Monday to shop for ointment and green tea?”

After some consideration, Merlin nodded to himself and circled the counter. “Does Gaius still keep that pack of cards in the second drawer?” he asked.

Will grinned wickedly. “He stashes it under the cash register, now.”

.M.

“Hey,” Merlin said upon entering Arthur's office.

“Merlin,” Arthur leaned his back on the chair, folding his arms over his chest and watching intently as the boy placed the Starbucks bag over the desk to withdraw his tea, as he did everyday. “How was your weekend?”

“Um...” Merlin averted his eyes. “It was... good.”

“Good?” Arthur cocked an eyebrow. “Is that all you've got to say about your weekend, _Mer_ lin?”

“Er... It was great, actually. Pretty... unusual? In a good way?”

“I see,” Arthur nodded, inwardly patting himself on the back at witnessing Merlin's nervous agitation. The boy had no idea how much Arthur enjoyed making him uncomfortable like that.

“Is there anything I could do for you?” Merlin offered with a tense smile.

“Oh, there's plenty of things you _could_ do for me,” Arthur answered gravely, causing Merlin to swallow audibly, his lips parting. “Starting by bending over right here, on my desk, right now,” he was careful to move his lips the least possible and watched as Merlin's eyes widened. “But I shouldn't expect you to do that, now, should I?”

“Um...” Merlin averted his eyes, his cheekbone slightly more colored than normal.

“That's what I thought. So, instead, you should get on your fours,” he paused for a bit too long before continuing, “and fix the shelf on my cabinet, which just came crashing down for absolutely no reason,” he pointed to the cabinet at his back.

“Oh... Right,” Merlin hesitated for a beat before walking past Arthur to open the cabinet's door.

Arthur spun his chair around to take note of his reaction at seeing the damage. The shelf on the low end had collapsed on one side and it's contents had tumbled down, scrambling paper clips, elastic bands, staples, and whatnot.

Merlin twisted around to stare at him suspiciously. “Wait, you didn't do it on purpose, did you?”

“Why would I do it on purpose, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur made a point to sound offended. “Certainly not to gawk at you bony behind, since I'll have to keep facing the opposite side the whole time. If I had to break anything on purpose, it'd be something right in front of my seat. Preferably under my desk.”

“Funny,” Merlin said as he turned to assess the cabinet again, pretending to considerate something. “I got the impression you didn't find my behind so bony yesterday, by the way you groped it. I still have the imprint, you know?”

Arthur had to grip the chair's armrest to steady himself at that, setting his jaw as his penis filled up to a half-mast in a heartbeat. “You're kidding me, right?” he asked on behalf of his own sanity.

“Nope.” Merlin looked at him from over his shoulder with a naughty grin, holding his palm open in front of Arthur. “You can see the outline of all five fingers. Right cheek.”

“Jesus, Merlin,” Arthur had to take a couple of deep breaths to dispel the metal image of himself puling Merlin's pants down right there to check it. “Enough teasing and more working, will you?”

“You started with the teasing,” Merlin shrugged and knelled down.

Arthur spun back quickly, struggling to regain control over himself. He adjusted the computer screen and tried not to think of a way to gawk at Merlin's ass through the reflexion on the reflective surface. And to think that the week was only beginning.

.Merlin.

_'I miss you here, on my couch. Wanna come watch some movie?'_

_'Meeeerliiiiin??'_

_'Did you lose your phone again?'_

“Shit,” Merlin cursed under his breath at seeing Arthur's texts. Will had just paused the game to grab some snacks in the kitchen. “Um, I gotta pee,” Merlin announced and locked himself in the bathroom, hiding from his friend.

_'Sorry. I'm at Will's.'_

_'What? Why?'_

_'Cause I promised him I'd come play FIFA with him today.'_

_'Why haven't you told me about this?'_

_'I didn't realize I had to ask for your permission or something.'_

_'Don't be ridiculous. Of course you don't have to ask for my permission. I only wished to be told, so that I didn't happen to worry when you don't text me back.'_

_'Of course...'_

_'Why do I get the feeling you're being sarcastic?'_

_'Because that's the intention. There's no reason for you to be jealous about Will, you know?'_

_'Jealous??? Who's_ _being_ _jealous here? I'm certainly not!'_

_'Great, 'cause there's nothing to be jealous about, really.'_

_'Right...'_

_'Look, I gotta go or else Will, will get suspicious. I'll talk to you later.'_

_'XOXO'_

_'Where did you learn that, Arthur?'_

_'You don't happen to be calling me old again, do you? Because if you do...'_

_'XOXO'_

“What's so funny?” Will asked as soon as Merlin stepped out of the bathroom.

“Nothing's funny,” Merlin assured, willing his facial muscles to relax.

“Right...” Will raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

.Merlin.

_'You're wearing those jeans again.'_

_'Yeah, I wear them sometimes, you know? That's why I bought them.'_

_'I don't like the way people gawk at your legs when you wear them.'_

_'No one gawks at my legs besides you, Arthur.'_

_'You have_ _absolutely_ _no idea, have you?'_

_'Shouldn't you be focusing on getting you presentations ready for tomorrow?'_

_'How can I focus on anything when you keep parading around like that?'_

_'I'm not parading around. I'm working. You should try it.'_

_'I want you legs around my hips.'_

_'Arthur...'_

_'I want to leave a mark on your butt again.'_

“ _Okay, I'm ignoring you from now on.'_

_'I want to lick you all over.'_

_'And suck.'_

_'And bite.'_

_'There's no use pretending you're not dying to know what I'm writing, Merlin. I know you'll find a way to slip out to the bathroom any moment, to check it.'_

.Merlin.

“Do we have to give you an answer now?”

Merlin looked up from the computer screen when one of the executives in attendance of the meeting spoken out. He was the most reluctant of them all, making remarks about nearly everything Arthur explained during the conference.

“Absolutely not,” Arthur warranted, seemingly undisturbed. “Take as much time as you need. And, as I already clarified to Mr. Rivera, you don't have to be one hundred percent in agreement with our terms to implement the project. We can surely adjust the proposal as you see fit, or you can authorize it by stages. Feel free to consider it and find the alternative that better fits with your purposes.”

Those words seemed to disarm the man, who straightened his jacked, though still frowning in dissatisfaction.

“Well, gentlemen, I believe we have much to discuss, then,” Mr. Rivera got on his feet and so did the other executives. “Mr. Pendragon, thank you for your time. We'll get in touch as soon as possible.”

“Wait for me here, Merlin,” Arthur advised, closing the door after him as he saw them to the exit.

Merlin began to gather the files left on the table, piling the paper cups and teacups next to the door, so as to make it easy for the cleaning staff to take it – he called the kitchen's extension line to ask for someone to collect it. When Arthur came back, Merlin had returned to his chair in front of the desktop to disconnect the equipment.

“So, what did you think?” Arthur asked, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the backrest of a chair before walking towards Merlin as he loosened his tie a bit.

“They didn't seem very open-minded.”

“They hardly are, at first,” Arthur sounded untroubled as he pushed Merlin's chair back and sat over the table top – barely missing the keyboard –, blocking Merlin's vision of the computer screen. He folded his arms. “No one likes to hear people saying they're doing something wrong.”

“Why hire consultancy services, then?” Merlin arched an eyebrow, mirroring Arthur's pose.

“Because they reckon there's a problem and they think we're going to solve it with a few magic words and some special effects,” Arthur said dismissively. “When we show them they're the ones causing the problem, they refuse to admit it.”

“You think they're gonna sign with us, then?”

“I'm confident that they will,” Arthur pushed his lower lip forward, as if considering. “It might take some time, but they'll see sense in what we told them, eventually.”

“But what if they decide to make the changes themselves? Or hire another company using our diagnosis?”

“There's always that possibility,” Arthur admitted. “And that'll depend on how they evaluate Pendragon's services up to now. My services, particularly, since I've been negotiating with them personally.” Arthur stood up, circling Merlin's chair and placing his hands on Merlin's shoulders, leaning over to speak into his ear. “What would you do if you were one of them, Merlin?”

Merlin swallowed. “Me?”

“Would you hire me? Or would you hand the job to someone else to put in place?” Arthur carried on, pressing the pad of his his fingers into Merlin's tensed up neck muscles.

“I'm not sure... I think it depends on your terms,” Merlin teased, closing his eyes when Arthur licked his earlobe.

“Oh, I can assure you you'd be very pleased with my services.” Arthur very slowly slid his hands across Merlin's chest.

“Arthur,” Merlin stopped him by grabbing his forearms before he could reach his groin, “I've already called the cleaning staff. They should be here any moment, now.”

“Why would you do that?” Arthur complained, straightening up.

“Because it's part of my job to make sure the room's in order after the meetings?”

“Yes, but you could've called them later!” Arthur shook his head. “Honestly, Merlin. Worst. Intern. Ever,” he said through closed teeth, pinching Merlin's shoulder hard.

“Ouch!” Merlin tried to escape his hands.

When someone knocked lightly on the door, though, Arthur quickly withdrew and asked for the cleaning lady to come in. Taking a deep breath, Merlin turned his attention back to the computer, retrieving his thumb-drive safely before turning the machine off.

“I can't wait anymore,” Arthur whispered, still standing behind him him. This time, he placed his hands on the backrest of the chair when he leaned forward, pretending to watch something on the – now blackened – screen.

“It's just one more day,” Merlin reasoned, keeping his eyes focused on the cleaning lady, who was wiping the tabletop with a flannel, seeming completely oblivious to their exchange.

“I want to make love to you so bad, you won't be able to walk straight when I'm done with you.”

Merlin shivered, biting his lower lip. Arthur had changed a lot since they had sex. He was more daring, making even more suggestive remarks and ambiguous comments than before, but he could also be very straightforward when he intended to. Merlin would never admit it out loud – especially when Arthur was already insufferably cocksure without his encouragement –, but hearing Arthur talk – and text – dirty drove him up the walls with horniness. In an ideal world, Merlin would hardly complain about that change in behavior; unfortunately, thought, the circumstances were far from ideal, which meant Merlin had to live with a full-time hard-on while in the workplace and it was nowhere near comfortable – or healthy even.

“What do you have to say about that?” Arthur teased, pretending to point at something on the computer screen.

“I say we'd better go,” Merlin said, standing up and collecting his stuff, ignoring Arthur's smug face.

“To Newbury?” Arthur asked, grabbing his jacket as he followed his out of the conference room. “Now? Why, Merlin, I didn't realize you were that eager!”

“Fucking dickhead,” Merlin said through greeted teeth.

.Merlin.

Merlin still found it hard to anticipate Arthur's actions, but he started to pinpoint some patterns in his behavior. Arthur was impatient and blunt when he couldn't put his hands on Merlin, expressing his frustration by way of teasing, refusing to let go until Merlin became equally or more affected than him. When they finally got to be alone, though, Arthur had no hurry at all, taking his time and amusing himself at watching Merlin's anxiety rise to unbearable levels.

As it happens, Arthur was calm and collected when they reached the cottage, by Friday evening. Merlin, for his part, was tense and restless like never before. Merlin unloaded the car while Arthur routinely checked on some things, then packed up the fridge with his mother's provisions while Arthur opened some of the windows to air out – there was some lingering paint smell yet, but nothing too annoying. Arthur turned the TV on and asked Merlin to help him bring his bed's mattress down to the living room.

“Why?” Merlin asked, puzzled.

“Because my bed is suspended, if you hadn't noticed yet. So, unless you want us to sleep on my father's bed or Morgana's...” Arthur paused and Merlin pulled a face. “Yeah, that's what I thought. Hurry up, then.”

Merlin followed Arthur upstairs while examining that action of Arthur's. He knew Arthur's bed to be on a mezzanine, accessed by a simple wooden ladder with no rail to help, but he hadn't realized he'd need to climb up there. Even if he had, though, it wasn't that long of a climb; the ladder wasn't as high as the one he used on the shelves downstairs.

“Arthur, I really don't think this's necessary,” Merlin said as they reached Arthur's bedroom, measuring the height. “I think I can climb it just fine.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Alright, but are you sure you wouldn't get uncomfortable during the night? What if you need to come down to use the loo, in the dark?”

Merlin scratched the back of his head. He hadn't thought about that either. “Er...”

“Come on, let's do this already,” Arthur went up and pushed the mattress down, careful not to let go of it and crush Merlin with it's weight – it was bigger and heavier than it looked at first.

The descend was slow and required some delicate manoeuvrings, but they finally managed to put it down on the living room's floor, in front of the TV, after rearranging the couches to make some space.

“Do your father and sister ever come here?” Merlin asked, changing the bedsheets while Arthur heated their dinner.

“I don't think my father showed up once after I got myself a driver's license,” Arthur answered from the kitchen. “I guess this house reminds him too much of my mother. Morgana used to come with her college friends, but it's been some time since she lost her key and she never got another one made.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Merlin went to his rucksack. “I brought your books!”

He pulled out the series of books he had borrowed from Arthur a few months back and returned them to the shelves – fortunately, the sci-fi section was on the bottom shelf.

“Dinner's served!” Arthur announced and they sat by the table to eat roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and greens.

Arthur seemed pretty impressed by the carefulness with which Hunith had prepared their food, dividing it in small portions and going as far as writing down the best way to heat up, to keep it from drying out.

“Next, you'll tell me your mother made dessert too.”

Merlin shrugged. “I'm pretty sure there're some pudding somewhere in the fridge.”

“How can you be so skinny with a mother like yours?” Arthur sounded indignant.

“Oh, don't let her fool you. She doesn't make a habit of cooking full meals like that.”

Hunith often got home late from the supermarket and was hardly in the mood to cook dinner, except on weekends. But she usually did something simpler. Elaborated food like that was too much work and she usually practiced her gift on special occasion, only.

After dinner, they settled on the mattress, using the larger couch as backrest while eating plum pudding and watching some random movie. Merlin had relaxed considerably after all those domestic activities and was starting to doze off when Arthur decided it was time to spice things up a bit.

“You're not sleeping on me, are you?” Arthur asked, when Merlin snuggled closer, supporting his head on Arthur's chest, while still facing the TV.

“Hm?” Merlin propped his head up, resting his chin on Arthur's pec and staring at him with bleary eyes.

Arthur simply stared back at him, as if studying every little bit of his face. Merlin did the same, marveling at Arthur's perfect, smooth lips; his outlined jawbone; the clear blue of his irises; the way his hair shone, reflecting the flickering light of the telly... Merlin came to the conclusion, at that moment, that Arthur's eyelashes were a darker blond than his hair.

“Come here, Merlin,” Arthur called and Merlin complied immediately, bringing their lips together.

One of Arthur's hand found it's way through Merlin's hair while the other pulled him closer until Merlin was straddling his hips. Merlin could kiss Arthur until his lips went numb and never get tired of it, if not for the growing arousal caused by the friction of his bum against Arthur's increasingly outlined hard-on, barely hidden by his soft sweatpants.

Merlin didn't know how to be daring like Arthur and for that reason he liked it better when Arthur **lead** the way, so as not to risk doing something wrong; yet, he couldn't resist his urges to slip his hands down Arthur's T-shirt, feeling the his hard muscles under his fingers. Arthur's pecs were well-toned, his chest was broad and his abs firm and perfectly shaped – nothings exaggerated, just perfect –, even when relaxed. Sometimes, when he lay his head on his pillow at night, Merlin remembered Arthur's weight over him, the feeling of his skin, the strength of his arms, the outline of his body and he couldn't believe his luck.

How could this gorgeous, sexy man be interested in Merlin, of all people?

“I want you out of these jeans,” Arthur whispered into his mouth. “You're forbidden to use jeans for the rest of the weekend, understood?”

“But I didn't–” Merlin was about to object that he hadn't bought anything besides jeans and T-shirts – also, his pajamas, but he hoped he wouldn't need them –, but Arthur stopped him by flipping them around.

“Listen carefully, for I won't say it again, Merlin. I'm going to take these jeans off of you and I don't want you wearing any until we leave. And I don't mind if you'll have to walk around naked. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” Merlin swallowed dry when Arthur kissed his lips once more.

Arthur stripped him naked and stood up, reaching for his bag. Merlin followed his every move, his breathing speeding up when he saw Arthur coming back to bed with a bottle of lube, a pack of what looked like wet wipes and a sealed box of condoms.

“Do you think it's enough?” Arthur shook the box and Merlin let out a nervous laugh. Arthur laughed too, throwing his head back as he did it. “You don't have to look at me like that, Merlin. I'm just kidding!”

Merlin threw a pillow at him. “Oh, shut up and take your clothes off already.”

Arthur arched an eyebrow. “Did you just give me an order?”

“Yes,” Merlin answered, raising his chin.

Arthur smirked. “Feels good, does it?”

“It's... not unpleasant,” Merlin shrugged.

Arthur put the stuff down on the floor within arms reach before undressing, lying on top of Merlin next, grinding on him. Merlin placed his open palms over Arthur's back, marveling at the shifting of his muscles while Arthur took the chance to kiss, suck and lick at his neck.

“You'll leave bruises,” Merlin panted, turning his head to the opposite side to ease his access.

“Good,” Arthur hummed, shoving one thigh between Merlin's, forcing him to spread his legs apart to better accommodate him. Arthur kneeled then, wrapping his hand firmly around Merlin's cock and thumbing at the slit, teasingly. “I want to mark you all over,” he scratched Merlin's collarbone with his teeth as a demonstration.

Merlin reached for Arthur's fully erected cock, holding it as firmly as Arthur was doing. He bit his lower lip, amazed at the velvet texture of his shaft, it's thickness, it's length... Arthur's cock was perfection. Merlin had spent the entire week dreaming about touching it again, sucking it, feeling it pulsing inside of him...

“Turn round,” Arthur directed, getting off of him.

It took Merlin's brain a while to catch up on the meaning of the words. When it finally did, he flipped over his stomach right away.

“On your fours,” Arthur said, and Merlin complied once again, closing his eyes at the feeling of Arthur's large, heavy, masculine hands on his buttocks. Merlin loved Arthur's hands. The mere touch of them made him feel all hot and bothered.

Arthur settled between his legs, bending forward to kiss the end of his spine, massaging his thighs and cheeks in circular motions. When Arthur's mouth continued it's way down his tailbone, Merlin's heart beat faster.

“Arthur?” Merlin asked, looking over his shoulder, moving to back off, but Arthur held him in place with an iron grip on his hips.

“No, no, no,” Arthur parted Merlin's buttocks and _licked_ between them.

“ _Arthur_!” Merlin yelped.

“Yes, Merlin?” Arthur licked him again, his tongue exploring him leisurely, this time. Merlin dug his nails into the mattress. “You liking it?”

“It's... embarrassing,” Merlin admitted, his face burning with shame. He was clean, he had made sure of that before leaving his house, but still, it was obscenely _filthy_.

Arthur backed away. “If you aren't enjoying it, just say it and I'll–”

“I _am_!” Merlin said at once. “But... Are _you_?”

“I'm enjoying you, Merlin,” Arthur said, his voice low and seductive. “Every little piece of you. Do you want me to keep going or not?” Arthur breathed over his sensitive skin, still wet with saliva.

“Yes,” Merlin nodded vigorously and Arthur licked a path from his testicles through his perineum. He lapped and nibbled at the prominent point of Merlin's tailbone and finished by circling his tongue around his rim, slipping the tip inside his crack. “Fuck!” Merlin panted, lowering the upper half of his body to bury his face in the pillow, blatantly offering himself to Arthur's mouth. He was desperate to touch himself, but resisted valiantly, knowing that Arthur wouldn't approve of it.

“There's plenty of fucking going on here, Merlin,” Arthur teased before resuming buggering him with his tongue, making Merlin moan and curse into the pillow.

Arthur slid his hands across the backside of Merlin's tight, sometimes teasing, sometimes groping. He fondled Merlin's testicles next, alternating between laps at his perineum and thrusts inside his anus. When Arthur finally touched Merlin's penis, he whimpered needily and pushed against his hand.

“Turn around,” Arthur commanded without giving him time to object when he backed away.

Merlin rolled onto his back, bending his legs and spreading them so that Arthur could position himself between them. Arthur pushed one of Merlin's legs up, forcing him to bend it further until his tight touched his stomach. He hovered over him then, slipping a lubed up finger inside with ease.

“Arthur?” Merlin called, panting, propping his head up in a failed attempt to see what was taking him so long to do something. He was moving his finger so slowly it was pure torture. “What're you doing?”

“Exploring,” Arthur answered with a smirk. “Let me know if you feel something... different.”

“I wanna come,” Merlin whimpered, slumping onto the mattress again.

Arthur seemed concentrated on something. “Hold on just–”

“Ah!” Merlin yelped, and Arthur shouted. “There! Oh, dammit...”

Merlin's sudden movement had dislodged Arthur's finger. He held Merlin in place, searching, his finger curving up to find the spot again.

“Ahhh!” Merlin cried out again at feeling the slight jolt.

“Is it good?” Arthur touched him again at that very spot and Merlin frowned at the ambiguous feeling, half discomforting, half pleasurable. “You like it?”

“Yes,” Merlin reached for his own cock, desperate for some friction while Arthur insisted on touching his prostate.

“Have you touched yourself here, Merlin?”

“Yes,” Merlin admitted, too excited to feel embarrassed. He wasn't particularly keen on explaining how foreign it felt when it was someone else's hands on him, for he had much more pressing matters to worry about. Like the fact that he was about to come.

As if sensing it, Arthur batted Merlin's hand away and replaced it by his own. “Let's put my coordination to thetest.”

Merlin wasn't paying any attention to his words anymore, only to the overwhelming feeling of Arthur's hands on him and to the almost accidental touch of his erection at the inside of his thigh. Merlin felt like all of his nerve endings were being stimulated at once. He came with a relieved shout and Arthur withdrew his finger from inside him, focusing on riding out his orgasm until the very last drop.

Arthur tapped at Merlin's leg on cue and Merlin stretched it with a groan. His joints were sore from the prolonged tension. He focused on catching his breath, throwing an arm over his eyes while Arthur cleaned the mess on his stomach and chest.

“You think you can come again?” Arthur asked, laying onto Merlin's side, his erection throbbing against Merlin's groin.

“Give me one moment,” Merlin took a few deep breaths, feeling so sated his brain still couldn't fathom the possibility of experiencing even more pleasure than it already did.

“I'll give you two, then,” Arthur joked, kissing Merlin's neck lazily while bucking his hips just enough to cause some friction.

After some long minutes, Merlin slipped his hand between their bodies, grabbing Arthur's cock and jerking him.

“Here,” Arthur reached for the lube and squeezed some of the viscous liquid on Merlin's palm, making it easy for him to slide his hand up and down his shaft. He brought his mouth closer to Merlin's ear. “I want to fuck you.”

Merlin hummed, his cock twitching in sudden interest.

“Do you want me to stick my cock up you ass?” Arthur's voice sounded even lower and Merlin shivered.

“Yes, Arthur.”

“Yes what?”

“I want you to stick you cock up my ass. Hard.”

Arthur grunted and positioned himself between Merlin's legs again, spreading more lube over his right hand. He bent over, liking one of Merlin's nipples while fingering him, testing his muscle resistance before adding a second finger. Merlin arched his back when Arthur sucked his nipple into his mouth, prodding the hardened nub with the tip of his tongue while his fingers slipped in and out with increasingly ease.

Arthur moved to the other nipple, adding a third finger. Merlin felt the burning of the stretch for one moment, but Arthur's tongue distracted him until it gave in to the exquisite slide of Arthur's fingers.

“Please, Arthur...” Merlin begged, pushing into his fingers.

Arthur let go of Merlin's nipples and looked down at Merlin's cock, holding it as if testing it's stiffness. He seemed pleased with the result of his inspection, given the smug smile that followed. He kissed Merlin one more time before kneeling to fetch a condom from the box.

Merlin watched closely as he put it on quick and effectively, spreading more lube over it next. He grabbed a pillow and brought it by Merlin's side.

“Hips up,” he said and Merlin complied readily, waiting for Arthur to settle the pillow bellow him before lowering down onto it. His hips were angled higher now and anxiety was pooling down his stomach by the second. As if sensing it, Arthur stared at him, caressing his thighs and kissing the inside of his knees. “Relax, Merlin,” he said, testing his opening one last time before lining up his cock and driving it in.

Merlin closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as Arthur pushed in, feeling his muscles burn as they stretched almost impossibly to accommodate Arthur's glans. Arthur mumbled some encouragements and Merlin focused on his voice, willing himself to relax until the worst part was over and Arthur was slipping further in, filling him slowly and steadily. Merlin gasped at feeling Arthur's hips touching his.

When he opened his eyes again, he found Arthur's intense gaze over him. His breathing was heavy and his abs twitched in time with his cock, inside Merlin.

“Alright?” Arthur asked and Merlin nodded, loosening his grip on the sheets when he noticed Arthur's meaningful look that way. It hurt, it really did, but Merlin knew the faster Arthur moved, the sooner it'd get better.

Holding Merlin's legs up against his sides, Arthur started to move at a slow pace. Acting reflexively, Merlin held Arthur's thigh both to stop him and keep him from pulling away. This time, he couldn't help the pain from showing on his face.

“What's it?” Arthur sounded alarmed.

Merlin licked his dry lips. “Too slow.”

Arthur frowned. “You sure?”

Merlin simply nodded in response, letting go of Arthur's thigh and allowing him to move faster. The burning soon gave way to pleasure and Merlin finally got to relax into the mattress, his breathing becoming ragged.

“Is it good?”

“Yespleassemore,” Merlin bit his lower lip, muffling a whimper when Arthur held his penis in a tight grip, his slick hand pumping him in time with his thrusts.

“Let me hear you, Merlin,” Arthur encouraged. “I want to hear those beautiful sounds you make for me.”

And so Merlin moaned and gasped and cursed.

“You're so hot, Merlin,” Arthur said through gritted teeth, his movements becoming harder and deeper. “So tight. So good.”

Arthur kept talking on and on, his words igniting Merlin's libido as much as the nerve endings stimulation. When Arthur increased the pace, Merlin was rambling, nonstop begging. Arthur stoped for a moment, his cock twitching inside Merlin as he cursed, his muscles pulled tight. Merlin groaned, his own penis twitching eagerly.

“Come _on_ , Merlin,” it was Arthur's turn to ask, his breathing shallow and rushed, his brow creased as he struggled to hold back.

“Almost there,” Merlin assured, urging him to move.

Arthur resumed his thrusts, jerking him vigorously until Merlin finally shouted out his release. Arthur came right after, grunting and throwing his head back while Merlin was still high with his orgasm.

Arthur pulled off with a hiss as Merlin slumped boneless on the mattress, exhausted. Struggling to catch his breath, Merlin allowed Arthur to take care of everything again, discarding the condom, cleaning them up and pulling a blanked over them. He turned the TV off and spooned Merlin, humming lightly as he did and kissing Merlin's face tenderly.

Merlin sighed and blacked out almost instantly.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning:** dirty talk/texting, rimming, prostate stimulation, and probably a lot more (honestly, if I was to add all these warnings as tags, it'd probably scare potential readers away).


	17. Part 2 - Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The worst part about sleeping in the living room was the brightness in the morning, which the thin curtains couldn’t filter. Arthur checked his watch as he woke up and sighed at finding it wasn’t even six in the morning, yet. Merlin was still sound asleep next to him, lying over his stomach, his lax face turned at Arthur.

Arthur got up carefully not to wake him up and went to the bathroom. Normally, he’d take the opportunity to go on a hike, but he was feeling particularly lazy this morning, so he opted to get back to bed next, not caring to putting any clothes on. He slipped under the blankets with Merlin, shoving one arm under his pillow and gently circling the boy's waist with the other, breathing in his dark locks’ delicious scent. Merlin breathed noisily, but didn’t wake up.

Unlike the other times he had woken up with Merlin in his bed, this morning Arthur had no worries, no schedule to follow and his conscience was at peace. He could never turn back in time and undo Merlin’s first time, but he had vowed to make that second time perfect. He had gone to the height of Googling some useful tips and found a tutorial on ' _How to Stimulate your Partner’s Prostate_ ', with a few explanatory charts – all pretty educational.

Arthur tried not to over analyze what was going on, but not so long ago he’d never had pictured himself going that far with another man and enjoying every second of it. Pleasuring Merlin was the most gratifying thing he’d ever done and he wanted to be able to do more and more, get to know every inch of Merlin’s body, every little spot, every sensitive bit, all his fetishes… He’d do anything for Merlin.

For now, though, Arthur would settle for smelling him, feeling the heat of his body, the touch of his skin, his even breathing… Being able to have him like that, so vulnerable, so trusting, made Arthur feel cozy, almost physically pleased. Arthur closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lulled buy the steady up and down of Merlin’s back, his warm breath over his chest…

He woke up with Merlin moving carefully and, when he opened his eyes, he found two turquoise orbs staring back at him.

“Hey, baby,” Arthur mumbled sleepily and Merlin’s forehead smoothed out, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes softening as he sighed and snuggled at Arthur’s chest, curling one hand over Arthur’s bicep and tangling his legs in Arthur’s.

“It’s too early,” Merlin grumbled idly.

“Yeah, go back to sleep,” Arthur stroked his hair.

Merlin took a deep breath and let it go with a lamenting moan.

“What is it?” Arthur lowered his chin to look at his face, but it was out of sight, still buried in his chest.

“I need to pee,” Merlin said, apparently unwilling to move a muscle, in spite of his allegation.

Arthur laughed. “Go, then!”

Merlin kept silent for a while before finally answer, sounding unsure. “Promise you’ll be still here when I come back?”

Arthur blinked, taken aback. Sometimes he was shocked by Merlin’s neediness, but mainly by the way he didn’t even try to hide it or disguise it, always so straightforward and open.

“I won’t go anywhere,” Arthur assured, letting go of him and dislodging him as he did it. “Hurry up! You have three minutes, for I’m feeling quite generous this morning.”

“What?” Merlin stared at him, confused.

Arthur made a point to check his watch dramatically. “Two minutes, fifty-eight seconds, fifty-seven-”

Cursing, Merlin fumbled with the blankets as he stood up and Arthur let his head fall back as he laughed.

“I don’t think it’s funny,” Merlin said over his shoulders as he hurried to the bathroom.

Arthur propped himself up in one elbow to better admire Merlin’s body as he moved easily, with no apparent discomfort. He had noticed before how Merlin seemed more conscious of himself when naked and he knew it to be one of his many insecurities, but he thought he was starting to see some improvement in that matter.

Merlin came out of the loo in no time, sliding his fingers through his hair a bit awkwardly, but he didn’t try to cover himself before Arthur’s intent gaze as he made his way back. Arthur simply smirked, lifting the edge of the blanket in an invitation. If only Merlin could see himself through Arthur’s eyes, he’d never think of covering himself again. Actually, Arthur was determined to wear him down on that embarrassment of his and, if it was up to him, Merlin would lose any remnant shame by the end of this week.

They cuddled on the mattress facing each other in a comfortable tangle of limbs. Arthur run his hand across Merlin’s back, his fingers circling one mole now and again before continuing its caresses. They laid lazily like that for a while, but Arthur couldn’t get back to sleep. In fact, the way Merlin moved his fingertips over his chest left him increasingly awake.

Arthur let his hand slip further down, cupping Merlin’s buttocks and pulling his hips closer.

Merlin stared at him with amusement. “I thought you had told me to get back to sleep?”

“And since when doyou do as I say, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur tried to kiss him, but he backed away.

“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” Merlin said.

“Oh, really?” Arthur rolled his eyes, pushing Merlin on his back and lying on top of him. “What should I do to you, then?” he slid his legs between Merlin’s.

“I can think of one thing or another.”

“Do any of your suggestions involves something like this?” Arthur held Merlin’s hips in place and lowered down until he was facing the boy's hard and glistening cock, sucking it's head gently and teasingly.

“Yes,” Merlin agreed readily. “It starts like that. But you'll need a bit of lube too. And a condom.”

“I won't fuck you right now, Merlin,” Arthur stated before griping his cock and sucking hard.

“Why?” Merlin whined.

“Because I need you to be able to walk later.”

“I will! I promise I will!”

“We'll have enough time for it, Merlin,” Arthur said, final, sucking him again. “But if you ask nicely, I can touch you in that special place again.”

“Yes, pleeeease,” Merlin begged, arching his back when Arthur touched his perineum provocatively.

Arthur reached for the lube and smeared it on Merlin first, than on his fingers, sliding them unhurriedly while alternating licks on his balls and on his cock. He swallowed his length then, going as far as he could handle, sucking as he worked one finger in. Surprisingly, Merlin seemed more tight than ever and Arthur had to be careful to slide the second finger in, keeping the head of Merlin's cock in his mouth and teasing the slit with his tongue. Arthur bent his fingers up, the way he did last night, groping Merlin's inner walls until he found what he was looking for, the texture slightly different to the touch.

Merlin answered with a moan, pushing against Arthur's fingers and dislodging them.

“Be quiet,” Arthur commanded, searching for the spot again, studying Merlin's inner muscles and how it seemed more rigid there.

Arthur pressed Merlin's prostate carefully, at first, testing and analyzing his reactions until he found the right angle, the exact amount of pressure, and only then he went back to sucking him. Merlin grabbed fistfuls of his hair, encouraging him to go on. Arthur rocked his own hips, rubbing himself on the mattress, inspired by the sounds that escaped Merlin's throat.

“Arthur...” Merlin warned and Arthur backed off the moment he felt Merlin's muscles contracting. He finished him off with his free hand, making Merlin come and come some more until he was panting and empty.

Arthur wiped Merlin's belly with some tissues and moved up on top of him, kissing him on the lips. When he tried to slip his tongue in, though, Merlin turned his face away again.

“Alright,” Arthur sighed dramatically. “If you won't kiss me, better find some other use to your mouth, then.”

Merlin bit his lower lip and sat up, flipping them over. Arthur leaned his head on top of his crossed arms and watched while Merlin crawled backwards over him, gripping his cock tight and exploring Arthur's chest with his free hand and and his lips.

As his mouth came near Arthur's crotch, Merlin's hips rose up and his hand never stopped moving up and down Arthur's leaking cock. Merlin gingerly lapped at his testicles and caressed the inside of his thighs. Arthur hummed, making Merlin look up, now licking and sucking his length, fondling his testicles with one hand and holding him in place with the other.

“I think I finally found something you're good at, Merlin. I'll be sure to make a note on your internship report about this.”

“Fuck you,” Merlin snapped back right away and Arthur's laughter turned into a grunt when Merlin put as much of his cock as he could fit into his mouth.

Arthur allowed him to suck him until he felt on the brick of his release. He pulled Merlin up then and told him to lay down on his stomach. Arthur laid on top of him, fitting his cock between Merlin's buttocks, still slippery with lube. Merlin flexed his glutes tight while Arthur rutted against him. Arthur muffled his grunt on Merlin's shoulder blade, moving faster until he came, his cum dripping and pooling over the end of Merlin's spine.

Merlin barely moved when Arthur cleaned him again, stretching beside him next, face down. He fell asleep immediately.

.M.

It was nearly ten o'clock when Arthur woke up with a funny noise.

“Merlin!” Arthur turned to face the boy.

Merlin yawned noisily, rubbing at his own stomach. “Sorry,” he looked slightly ashamed. “I think I'm hungry.”

Arthur sat up. “Really?” he said, sarcastic. “I was gonna ask you to shower with me, but I guess we better have breakfast first.”

Merlin argued that he could very well wait a few minutes to eat, but Arthur insisted he had at least one slice of bread with peanut butter before going in the shower.

“Here, I'll join you,” Arthur said, fixing another slice for himself and taking a bite. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until then.

They showered upstairs, where the box was more roomy – Arthur took the chance to carry Merlin in his arms up the staircase, earning some complaints about being treated like a fucking _girl_ and turned it all the more fun. Later, Arthur lent him one of his old swimming trunks, saying they'd need light clothes for hiking – Merlin didn't seem all that enthusiastic about the plan, but didn't voice any objections. After changing, Merlin went down to the kitchen to fix them a late but strong breakfast, with eggs, sausages, bacon and beans on toast.

It was nearly noon when they left the cottage, so Arthur made sure they put on enough sunscreen. They circled around the house and went down a wooded path, a winding track which crossed the neighboring properties and lead to a valley with a little stream running at the bottom. Merlin refused to get in the water at first, saying he had had some traumatic experience with leeches once – he mentioned Gaius' name, but Arthur thought it best not to ask what exactly happened, before Merlin's queasy expression –, therefore, Arthur got in first to prove to him it was safe. The water was pretty cold, despite the searing heat of the day, but soon Arthur got used to it.

Merlin bit his lower lip, hands at his waist, ignoring Arthur's calls for a moment, looking like he was having an argument with himself. He stripped his shirt off, but his foot barely hit the cold water and he was backing away again. Arthur didn't let him go further, though. He hugged Merlin into his own chilled body and pulled his struggling and kicking frame into the stream. Merlin listed an endless number of creative – and not that offensive – insults and, when he finally run out of words – and breath, since he was shaking so much he couldn't talk anymore – he cuffed Arthur in the head. Arthur laughed even harder.

Once he got over the initial temperature shock, they played in the water until Merlin's lips turned blue from cold. They stretched in the sun to warm up, then, until their clothes dried up completely and the heat became unbearable. Under the shadows formed by the trees flanking the stream, they snogged and teased each other like two teenagers before jumping into the water again.

When they got back to the cottage, around three in the afternoon, they heated a second portion of Hunith's delicious food and then stretched on the mattress to watch some TV next, too tired to even play video games. Merlin soon dozed off and Arthur took the opportunity to check on his email over the phone.

As Pendragon Consulting's director, he should make himself available for clients twenty-four seven. Usually, he received calls from his clients even on weekends, so he made sure to keep his phone within reach all the time, alert to anything that might require his close attention. The fact that he had spent nearly a whole day with his phone turned down at the bottom of his backpack was something pretty unusual by his standards. Far from feeling guilty like the other rare times he had neglected his device, however, Arthur didn't feel the smallest urge to return the missing calls or the voice mail he got since last night. It shouldn't be anything urgent, or it would've reached Uther's ears by now. Or not, since Arthur suspected his father wasn't that attached to his own phone on weekends, now that Catrina was living with him.

Arthur decided to reply only to Mr. Odin's email just in case – so that the man didn't feel tempted to call Uther – and to Morgana's texts – she was nagging him to join her on an event that night, even though he had already told her he wouldn't be in London until Sunday night –, for he knew his sister well enough and suspected she could very well show up in Newbury in person to confront him in case he ignored her any longer. He turned his phone off again and stared at the TV screen without really watching it, keeping the volume low. He let his own mind go into a lethargic state, both by tiredness and pure satisfaction, work related worries already forgotten again.

.M.

The rest of the day went by too quickly. When Merlin woke up, Arthur insisted they went outside, now that the sun was low. After some serious negotiation, Arthur convinced Merlin to do some kick about just for fun. Later, Merlin tried to teach him how to juggle, but it turned out to be harder than it looked. Around eight in the evening, when the sun was about to set, they had dinner on the porch and then laid down on the grass, side by side, watching the skies changing colors, searching for every nuance of the rainbow and witnessing the first stars appearance.

“There it is,” Arthur pointed to the middle of the sky, right above their heads. “Arcturus, the Bear Guardian.”

“What?” Merlin turned his head to face him, suspicious. “Now you're telling me there's a star with your name too?”

Arthur nodded. “And it's the third most bright in the sky.”

“God, no wonder you're so full of yourself, with a name like yours.”

“No wonder you're such a fool with a name likeyours,” Arthur said and laughed when Merlin elbowed him on the ribs. “You're only jealous because I have a star and a famous king named after me, while you have just an old bugger.”

“He was the greatest warlock to ever walk the earth!” Merlin sounded offended. “And isn't it the other way around? _We_ were named after them.”

“Whatever, you got my point. And he _is_ an old bugger,” Arthur emphasized. “Besides, let's not forget that he was a warlock to King Arthur's court.”

“Why, I don't remember King Arthur been even mentioned in Harry Potter.”

“What do you mean, you don't remember?” Arthur asked, insulted. “He's in Merlin's card!”

Merlin opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again. “Wait, you lost me.”

“The Famous Witches and Wizards Cards?” Arthur insisted. “From the Chocolate Frog Cards? Are you sure you read Harry Potter's books, Merlin? I have the card somewhere, I can prove it to you if you don't–”

“Hold on, you have the Chocolate Frog Cards collection?” Merlin sounded incredulous. “Arthur, I didn't know you were a Potterhead to this level! Actually, you seem very found of that Merlin card, in particular, the way you talk about it–”

“Oh, shut up,” it was Arthur's turn to be offended. “Besides, I wasn't talking about Harry Potter's universe, to begin with. Everybody knows King Arthur united the Great Britain kingdoms, defended Albion from Saxons invasion, defeated one thousand men by himself in a single battle–”

“And was killed by his incestuous son,” Merlin interrupted him.

“Nephew,” Arthur corrected, “according to Geoffrey Monmouth. The variations of the legend after him are pathetic and I rather not take them into account.”

Actually, Monmouth didn't mention any kind of subservient connection between the prophet Merlin and King Arthur, only the subsequent works, but Merlin didn't have to know that.

Merlin snorted. “Of course you do. Clotpole.”

“Hey, I could have you hanged for that, if I were king,” Arthur poked Merlin in the arm. “Or thrown in the dungeon. Or in the stocks.”

“It only proves how much of a great king you'd be!” Merlin mocked, shrinking when Arthur tried to poke him again. “If I were a powerful warlock, I'd never serve someone like you.”

“And who says you'd have a choice?” Arthur rolled on top of Merlin, trapping him down. “But you know how people twist things around. You were probably no warlock at all, only a jester.”

“A jester my ass!” Merlin tried to free himself, but Arthur grabbed his wrists and held them over his head. “Why not one of your knights, then?”

“Because we both know how useless you are wielding a sword, _Mer_ lin.”

“Well, you didn't find me that useless wielding _your_ sword, this morning, did you?”

Arthur squinted at him, watching him intensely. “You know what, you're right, maybe you weren't the jester after all, but the King's manservant. Just imagine it: I'd order you to muck the stables, polish my boots and my armour, get on your fours so that I could use your back as leverage to get on my horse, bring me breakfast in bed... You know, those king of things,” Arthur nuzzled at Merlin's neck.

“I'd spit in your food.”

“No, you wouldn't. You'd help me put my armour on. And off,” Arthur licked Merlin's hot skin right on the spot he had left a mark last night and felt his pulse under his tongue. “You'd draw my bath, make the bed and I bet you'd warm it up too, if I ordered you to do so.”

Merlin gasped. “You wouldn't dare.”

“Maybe I wouldn't even have to order you to do so,” Arthur scraped his teeth over Merlin's jaw, feeling the catch of his stubble. “Maybe, all I'd have to do is ask and you'd crawl into my bed without a second thought.”

“You're not being very realistic,” Merlin weighted. “A king must have a queen.”

“And I probably would,” Arthur granted after some consideration and Merlin stared at him, shocked. “What? You wanted realism, didn't you? I wouldn't be the first king to marry simply to fulfill my obligations as a ruler, would I?”

“Well...” Merlin pulled a face and puffed. “Alright, I guess you have a point.”

“Would you be my lover, Merlin?” Arthur asked, sliding his hand under Merlin's t-shirt and caressing the hair under his navel.

Merlin blushed and averted his eyes for a moment before staring at him again with a determined look. “Yes, I would.”

“Are you sure?” Arthur prodded, incapable of letting go, now that he had envisioned that scenery in his mind. “You'd have to share me with the Queen. But I wouldn't admit sharing you with anybody. Anyone who dared touch you would be condemned for treason.”

Merlin swallowed audibly, his breathing shallow. “I'd still do it,” he whispered and Arthur kissed him, feeling something take hold of his chest, an unexplainable satisfaction.

Merlin corresponded and tangled their limbs together. They frotted like that for a while before shoving their hands down each other's trunks. When Merlin tried to squash an insect on his neck for the second time, Arthur suggested they moved on to the bathtub and pretended to order Merlin to draw him a bath. With a little help from the soap, they finished each other off and washed themselves. Merlin said something about needing to shave, but Arthur stopped him, scratching Merlin's rugged chin fondly. He hadn't care to shave since Friday morning either.

Arthur took the video game console from his bedroom and plugged it on the living room's telly. He let Merlin pick the games this time and they played until nearly midnight. They made love again, then – this time with soundtrack, since Merlin had put his play list on earlier and they hadn't bothered to turn it off since.

Arthur didn't take that much time getting Merlin ready, for he wouldn't stop asking Arthur to fuck him already. When Arthur pushed in, Merlin's face was one of pure pleasure and Arthur delayed his orgasm as much as he could, making Merlin beg and moan before allowing him to come and finishing off right after.

They slept spooning, completely exhausted and sated.

.Merlin.

On Sunday, Arthur woke up too early once again. Merlin was peacefully asleep by his side, lying over his stomach, the sheets tangled on his legs. Arthur went to the loo and soon he was back to bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

He woke up again some time later, feeling Merlin's breath on his neck, but refrained himself for opening his eyes, curious to know what he'd do next.

Merlin nuzzled Arthur's neck lightly, the stubble on his cheek catching on Arthur's also rough chin. Merlin kissed Arthur's collarbone and run the tip of his nose down until he reached one of his nipples, where he licked.

Arthur couldn't hold a chuckle back anymore.

“Don't laugh at me,” Merlin sounded upset.

Arthur opened his eyes to stare at him, cupping his chin with his hand. “I'm not laughing at you, Merlin. I'm just happy that you're feeling daring. I like it.”

Merlin's eyes narrowed to slits as he evaluated Arthur's face. Whatever he found there, it was enough to make him resume teasing his nipple into a hard nub. “The thing is,” he said, stopping to scratch his teeth over Arthur's sensitive nipple, “that I'm not trying to amuse you,” he licked and scratched the other nipple. “I'm trying to turn you on.”

Merlin resumed his way down, lapping at Arthur's navel.

“By all means, then, do go on,” Arthur encouraged, crossing his hands behind his head to better watch. “You're on the right path.”

Merlin finally reached Arthur's half-hard cock, licking and sucking as if it was the most delicious dessert. He seemed completely absorbed in his task, oblivious to the sensuality of the whole picture, his lips stretched around Arthur's now fully erected cock, red and puffy, with a drop of saliva glistening at the corner of his mouth...

Arthur lowered his hand to Merlin's face touching the corner of his lips with his thumb, drawing his eyes up. Merlin frowned in a silent question.

“So gorgeous,” Arthur whispered, bewitched, and the wrinkles smoothed on Merlin's forehead as he turned his focus back to the matter at hand, bobbing his head while keeping his eyes locked on Arthur's. “You have no idea.”

Merlin let out a sound from the bottom of his throat and Arthur felt the vibration on his very core. He released Arthur's cock with a pop and wiped his mouth on his own arm. “I want you inside me,” he stated.

Arthur couldn't deny him that even if he wanted to. “Come here,” he tapped he mattress by his right. “On your knees and hands.”

Merlin crawled up the mattress immediately, stopping by Arthur's side, his breathing ragged, his head touching the pillow and his hips rising up in the air, invitingly. Arthur took a moment to admire the sight, his eyes lingering on Merlin's solid, hard cock, pointing towards his stomach.

Arthur grabbed the lube as he rose to his knees, smearing some over himself before positioning behind him, fitting his own erection between Merlin's buttocks.

Arthur caressed the inside of Merlin's thighs down to the knees. “Do you know how much I like your legs?” Arthur slid his hands up again, stopping at the spot were his legs meet his buttocks and gripping them hard. “And this ass of yours? Your ass is perfect, Merlin,” Arthur grunted, rubbing down on him and looking from one hand to the other. “ _You_ are perfect,” Arthur allowed his hands to move up Merlin's hips, across his waist and beyond, until they reached his shoulders, puling him up. “Come here.”

Merlin raised his upper half, laying his back on Arthur's front.

“Like this,” Arthur said into his ear, rubbing his chin over Merlin's neck and giving some pecks while running his hands over Merlin's chest – teasing his nipples with his thumbs, sliding his fingers down his abs, feeling them contract at his touch – until he held Merlin's cock, fondling his testicles smoothly with the other.

Merlin moaned, moving back to Arthur's erection and forth against his hand. Arthur let go of Merlin's cock, reaching for the lube and working him open unhurriedly while dirty whispering into his ear and delighting over the way he responded to every single stimulus.

Arthur pressed Merlin's prostate and he gasped, cursed and begged. Arthur pushed his shoulders down again, forcing him to support himself back on his hands and knees and put the condom on, pushing inside him slowly until his hips met Merlin's their thighs fitting together. Arthur held still for a moment, taking some time to jerk Merlin's cock slowly, spreading the viscous liquid escaping from the tip and massaging his thighs until he relaxed, starting to move just a bit, just a tiny little bit.

“Is this good?” Arthur asked, kissing the moles on his back, earning a vigorous nod. Arthur moved a bit more, holding Merlin's hip in place with his free hand. “How about this?”

“Fuck, Arthur,” Merlin grunted, moaning. He enveloped Arthur hand at the base of his own penis and gripped it hard. “Stop or I'll come.”

“Not so fast,” Arthur kissed Merlin's shoulder blades, keeping still for a while so that Merlin could regain his control and then resumed thrusting slowly at first, holding his hips with both hands now.

“You can continue talking, if you want to,” Merlin said and Arthur laughed.

“Oh, can I?” he said teasingly, gradually increasing the rhythm of his thrusts and rubbing his chin lightly over Merlin's back, careful not to burn him with his stubble. Still, he left a reddening trail across his fair skin. “You like it when I talk dirty?”

“Yes,” Merlin admitted and cursed when Arthur's thighs slapped noisily against the back of his as he moved harder.

“You like it when I shove my dick up your ass like this?”

“Y-Yes!” Merlin's voice nearly faltered.

Arthur continued saying whatever came to his mind until Merlin looked desperate for some friction, lowering the top half of his body as if he wished to rub himself on the mattress. Arthur pulled out and Merlin whimpered at the loss.

“Turn around,” Arthur instructed and Merlin followed promptly, accepting the pillow Arthur offered him and shoving it under his own hips. Arthur held Merlin's legs up to raise him further up and guided his cock in once again, this time keeping it at an angle, testing it. “Is it uncomfortable?” he asked, watching Merlin's forehead crease when he thrust in again.

Arthur stopped moving when Merlin didn't answer, his mind already running ahead to think of another position when Merlin stared at him, confused.

“Why did you stop?” he asked and Arthur released the air from his lungs.

He bucked his hips again, hitting Merlin's prostate at every in-stroke.

“Ah! Ah! Hmmm” Merlin moaned and moved his hand toward his own cock before catching himself. “Please, Arthur. Please...” he gasped, wetting his dried lips with the tip of his tongue.

Arthur didn't wait for him to ask again, supporting his weight with one hand and jerking him with the other.

“Come for me, Merlin,” Arthur said and Merlin threw his head back, his breathing increasingly shallow, until shouted, coming so hard the first jet almost hit him in the chin.

Arthur was really close and continued moving. He grunted when he came, supporting himself up with both hands while he pulsed inside Merlin, pushing in a few more times until the surges of pleasure receded, leaving him completely worn out.

“Arthur?” Merlin said, touching his arm and when Arthur looked up he saw Merlin frowning again.

He withdrew quickly. “Are you okay, baby?” he asked, worried.

Merlin relaxed the moment Arthur pulled out. “Okay,” Merlin mumbled, still out of breath. “Just a bit sore.”

Arthur kissed Merlin's face and crashed beside him, trying to catch his own breath while he disposed of the used condom, tying it with a knot and throwing it in a decorative vase he had spared as temporary bin. Merlin was probably more then 'just a bit sore', but Arthur knew he wouldn't admit it. When their temperatures dropped again, their heart beating slowing down to normal rate, Merlin cuddled to Arthur, resting his head over his shoulder and throwing one arm around his chest.

“You can go back to sleep now,” Arthur said, stroking Merlin's arm. “It's too early still.”

“Don't wanna sleep,” Merlin said, sounding drowsy.

“Why not?”

“Because I don't want today to go by too fast,” he confessed and Arthur sighed, kissing the top of his head. “Wanna stay here forever. Can I?”

“Sure,” Arthur said instantly. “I promise to come by once in a while. Ouch!” he squirmed, laughing when Merlin pinched his nipple not so gently.

“Asshole.”

Despite his kidding, Arthur understood too well what Merlin suggested and the truth was he didn't find it as hard a decision as he probably should, to drop everything and stay with Merlin there, just the two of them, in the middle of nowhere. Arthur swallowed hard, suddenly scared with the realization. Since when had he became irresponsible to the point of abandoning his family business like that? What was happening to him?

“So,” Merlin said, bringing him back from his own musings. “What time are we leaving?”

“I don't know,” Arthur frowned. “Four o'clock? I have to take the car to the car wash before the day's. My schedule's quite busy this week. You remember you'll be starting full time from tomorrow, right?”

“Of course I remember. I signed the contract, didn't I?”

Arthur ignored the sarcastic comment. “Great. I scheduled two visits tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up at nine.”

“What? Why?” Merlin sounded annoyed. “I can very well take the tube.”

“I'm not offering out of kindness, you know?” Arthur rolled his eyes, even though Merlin couldn't see him. “As it happens, your house's along the way to our first meeting.”

It wasn't strictly true, but Merlin didn't need to know that.

“Alright, then,” Merlin sounded quite skeptic, despite his words. “What do we have planned for today?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Arthur granted, closing his eyes and concentrating on the feel of Merlin's skin and the smoothness of the hair on his arm, under the tip of his fingers.

“What?” Merlin sounded scandalized as the raised his head to meet his eyes. “You didn't plan anything? You always have something planned!”

“Well, _Mer_ lin, for your information, I actually planned for us to do nothing today. I thought you'd like to stay in bed all day long. However, if you insist, we can go on a hike right now, while the sun's still low–”

“No, no, no, there's no need to,” Merlin pulled a face. “I don't think I can walk straight right now, let alone go on a hike.”

“That's precisely what I thought. As I said, I planned everything.”

“There's no need for you to sound so condescending, either.” It was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. “And it doesn't mean I don't feel like doing anything all day. Not that you asked my opinion or anything, but...”

“Why, by all means, Merlin, pray tell me what you've got in mind,” Arthur teased.

Merlin raised his chin proudly. “Well, we could start with a shower. Then breakfast. Then we could play some video games–”

“In other words, we could do nothing–”

“ _Or,_ ” Merlin continued, ignoring his nagging, “we could wash your car by ourselves!”

“We?” Arthur frowned, lifting his upper half on his elbows to lever their eyes.

“Yes! This way he don't have to go back too soon. Oh, come on, Arthur... It's gonna be fun!”

“I sincerely doubt that, but... Since when do you know how to wash a car?”

“Well, I've washed Gaius' a few times,” Merlin shrugged. “He used to give me a couple of bucks and I spent it all on candy and gum.”

“Classic,” Arthur mocked.

“Hey, I was ten, at the time!”

“You haven't changed that much since, then,” Arthur said and Merlin stuck his tongue out on him. “You have a very peculiar way of showing maturity, you know?”

“Oh, shut it.” Merlin showed his teeth on that naughty grin that left Arthur wanting to kiss him, teeth and everything. “I think I saw a vacuum cleaner and some rags in the storage room. And there's a hose over the barn. I can take care of the soundtrack too.”

“It seems like you have it all planned out,” Arthur marveled. “You won't need me for anything, then.”

“Actually, I need someone to handle the hose for me,” Merlin's eyebrows wobbled suggestively.

“Oh, I should have guessed there was a reason for you to like washing cars so much...”

“Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say I like washing cars.”

“Only mine, then?”

“Of course,” Merlin sounded sarcastic as he got to his feet and run his hand across his own chest. “Let's get to that shower, then. I'm disgusting.”

Merlin stared at Arthur, who had yet to move a muscle to join him. He arched an eyebrow disapprovingly and pointed to his imaginary clock. “What are you waiting for? Get that lazy ass of yours up already! We have twenty minutes. And counting!”

Arthur threw his head back as he laughed.

.M.

Even though Arthur would never _ever_ admit it out loud, Merlin had the clear impression he had fun washing the car. Merlin also took note of never trusting Arthur with a hose again, in the future. He had shoved the nozzledown Merlin's shorts; splashed water at his face when Merlin tried to lecture him; and nearly soaked the passenger seat while wetting Merlin from head to toe.

In the end, what should have taken less than an hour, ended up taking the whole morning, even if they didn't count the minutes wasted snogging, groping and grinding, both in and outside ofthe car, all of it to the sound of Queen. On second thought, the soundtrack had it's share of the guilt, since Arthur wouldn't stop teasing Merlin so that they did some hilarious lip-synchs. **¹**

When they were finally finished washing the car, they left the floor mats out and the roof rolled up to get some air.

The had a late lunch and came to the conclusion that they had enough food left to have dinner – Merlin couldn't be more thankful for his mother's tendency for exaggeration. With full bellies and bare skin – their clothes were left to dry in the sun too –, they dozed off with the TV on.

Merlin woke up to Arthur sucking him off. In moments like this, he had trouble working his brain around the fact Arthur had never done that before. And that he had chosen to do it with Merlin, of all people!

Merlin asked to blow him too and Arthur flipped them around, lying on his back while Merlin stood on his fours in a '69' position. Merlin had no claim to give the best blow job of Arthur's life – especially since he could still count in his fingers how many times he had practiced it –, but he thought he could make up for his lack of experience with his willingness to please and learn from it. Arthur didn't seem keen to complain, judging by the way he forgot to reciprocate for a moment until he came in Merlin's mouth. Merlin choked and coughed, but made sure to lick him clean. Arthur made him lie on his back again and finished him off with his hand while kissing him.

They spent the rest of the evening in bed, playing video games, talking and listening to music. Merlin's face was cramping from smiling so hard. He couldn't remember having ever felt so happy in his entire life.

Despite all his previous anticipation for that weekend, Merlin tried to keep grounded so as not to be too disappointed in case Arthur showed up to be distant and cold. Merlin feared the mornings, mostly, startling awake during the night, and going back to sleep after making sure Arthur was still by his side, snoring softly and comfortingly. Different from what he first imagined, Arthur had turned out to be affectionate, welcoming him into his arms in the morning, allowing him to snuggle up to him any moment of the day, condoning his need for cuddling and keeping his attention focused completely on Merlin. Arthur had only checked his phone once or twice during the whole time and never left him out of his sight for too long.

Also he couldn't get tired of hearing Arthur calling him 'baby'. Merlin smiled just by remembering, grateful that Arthur was too absorbed by the telly to notice. Every time Arthur called him that, Merlin felt his chest full of much more than the pure air from the country until it threatened to overflow – even if he only did it during what Merlin thought to be their 'mating ritual'.

God, Merlin was feeling like a lovestruck teen. Arthur probably didn't even take note of what he was saying, used to calling his previous lovers by pet names, but no one had ever addressed Merlin with that much intimacy. That, as well as the feeling it caused, was totally new to him. Not the passion in itself, because Merlin had fallen in love countless times before – usually with characters from books, films or TV shows, but that wasn't the point –, but that feeling of being cared for and cherished back.

Merlin was brought back to reality when Arthur moved his head to the side, seeming suddenly alert. “What's this noise?” he asked.

Merlin frowned and focused on listening carefully. “It's raining,” he established calmly and then his eyes widened as he felt himself going cold. “It's raining! The car!”

They run off to the front lawn, stark naked, cursing and slipping their feet on the wet grass. Arthur told Merlin to collect the mats and the clothes and then run off to the car to retrieve the key, pressing the button to put the roof back on and roll up the windows. They ran back to the safety of porch at the same time, bumping into each other as they climbed the slippery steps. Merlin nearly face planted, but Arthur held him up just in time and they leaned back on the wall, trying to catch their breaths.

All it took was a shared look and they burst out laughing.

.M.

About seven in the evening, when they were lazily spread out on the bed after having dinner, the inevitable happened: Arthur said they needed to go back to London. Merlin sighed and gave a sad smile, accepting Arthur's help to get on his feet. As he put his jeans back on, Merlin felt like he was being shaken back to reality after a particularly pleasant dream. Even the stretch of the fabric over his skin was a reminder that everything was about to go back to normal, which meant he'd have to part with Arthur again and pretend for the rest of the world that he didn't just spent the best days of his entire life with him.

“Hey,” Arthur called, circling him with one arm and holding his chin up, forcing him to stare at him. “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” Merlin shrugged, pulling the corners of his mouth up.

Arthur looked like he was going to object, but ended up rolling his eyes. He pecked Merlin's lips and slapped his behind. “Come on, help me out with this mattress, already.”

They changed the dirty sheets, shoving then in a laundry bag and carried the heavy mattress back up Arthur's bedroom. They cleaned the mess in the kitchen next, taking out the trash from the bathroom as well. The rain had stopped some time ago and they took their time loading Arthur's Maserati, postponing the moment they'd have to leave as much as they could. Merlin waited in the car while Arthur finished turning the power down and locking the house. He chose some lively music for the drive back, or he'd be risking crying like a girl the entire way.

“All set,” Arthur stated, getting in the car and closing the door. He took a deep breath and was about to buckle up when he seemed to thing better of it, turning to face Merlin. He had a three days stubble and Merlin found out he looked even sexier like that.

Merlin watched silently as Arthur opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head, apparently giving up on words. He pulled Merlin in for a kiss instead, and Merlin closed his eyes, sighing as Arthur sucked and nibbled at his lips.

Arthur backed off and stared at Merlin again, running his thumb across Merlin's lower lip and smirking. “That's better,” he approved, examining every tiny bit of Merlin's face. “I want to picture you like this, when I remember this weekend: blushing, panting and with your lips swollen from snogging.”

It was Merlin's turn to pull him in for another kiss, struggling to resist the urge to climb over into his lap.

“Hey, isn't this song the one with the weird dance?” Arthur said when Merlin let him go. “ _All we need is somebody to lean on..._ ” Arthur sang along and mimicked the dance moving his hands and his neck to the rhythm.²

Merlin couldn't keep a straight face at that, covering his mouth to muffle his laughter. “Where did you learn that?” Merlin asked, torn between second hand embarrassment and actual amusement.

“Why do you always look so surprised when I show any knowledge of current pop culture?” Arthur sounded indignant as he turned the engine on. “Don't I have access to YouTube as much as you teenagers do, by any chance? Or aren't people allowed to access some specific content after they have turned twenty? Admit it, Merlin, you're dying to show me how it's done.”

“No way!” Merlin said and laughed even harder when Arthur continued dancing as best as he could while driving.

.M.

The drive back was lighter than Merlin anticipated. Not only because of his carefully chosen play list, but also because Arthur held Merlin's hand during most part of the route. Arthur made a point to get out of the car when they got to Merlin's flat, helping him carry his things, despite his arguments.

“I don't need any help, seriously!” Merlin insisted, pointing at the bag Arthur was taking off the trunk. “It's nothing but some empty bowls and pots! You've let me carry heavier things back in the office without so much as raising a finger to help–”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Merlin, just shut up,” he gestured for Merlin to lead the way to the front steps. “I'm just trying to be nice here. Your mother spent the whole week planing and setting up all this. The least I could do is go up to thank her in person.”

“Oh, _right_ ,” Merlin said, sharply. “I'm sorry, I though for a moment that you were trying to be nice to _me_.”

“Of course not. Why would I do that?” Arthur dismissed, but pulled him closer as soon as they got inside the building, kissing his neck.

Merlin tried to look hurt, but gave up. They reached the second floor and Merlin fished for the key in his pocket. Before he could pull it out, however, the door to his apartment suddenly opened – Arthur quickly took a step back, taking his hand off Merlin's waist –, but it wasn't Hunith who showed up, leaning against the doorpost, sour faced, arms crossed over his chest.

“Will?” Merlin said, taken aback. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

By his side, Arthur had tensed up too and Merlin wondered if he was imagining things or if he could really listen to his teeth grinding.

“Oh, I came pretty early, actually,” Will gave a grim smile. “It was about seven. I'd have called or texted you to say I was coming, if you hadn't _ignored me the whole weekend._ ”

Merlin groaned, avoiding Arthur's look. “I wasn't ignoring you. I simply didn't realized my phone was dead until this morning,” Merlin lied. He had used his phone only to play music, turning it off in between. “Now, will you move out of the way?”

“Pendragon,” Will said, staring at Arthur without caring to move a muscle.

“William,” Arthur said, frowning his upper lip. “I'd call you by your surname, but I don't remember Merlin ever mentioning it. And it's not like we were properly introduced.”

“Seger,” Will offered, “but you can call me Mr. Seger.”

Arthur merely arched an eyebrow in reply.

“Will? Who's there?” Merlin heard his mother's voice and sighed in relief.

“It's me, mom!” Merlin shouted, trying to kick Will's shin out of the way, but he backed off to avoid it, giving way to them, although reluctantly. “We'll talk about it later,” Merlin said between gritted teeth so that only Will could hear.

“Oh, we'll definitely talk about it later,” Will said back, keeping his eyes focused on Arthur as he did so.

“There you are!” said Hunith the moment she saw them and Merlin willed himself to smile, dropping his back on the floor to hug her. “Oh, I think you're a bit warm, sweetheart,” she sounded worried, reaching for his forehead to test his temperature. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yes, mom. It's just a bit of sunburn from this morning,” Merlin moved away from her reach.

“Well, you _do_ look a bit tanned.” Hunith turned to face Arthur, who was still standing on the threshold and her face softened again. “You both are, actually. Don't just stand there, Arthur; come in! Make yourself at home.”

“Excuse me,” Arthur said, all politeness, but Merlin noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes this time.

“How was the trip?” Hunith asked, looking from one to the other. “Did you guys have fun? Oh, please, come have a sit, Arthur. Have you had dinner? Can I offer you some tea?”

“Actually, I'm on my way out,” Arthur said, checking his watch. “I just came up to thank you for everything you've done. It was really kind of you,” he offered her the bag he was caring, but Merlin took it before his mother could reach it.

“I'll take care of this,” Merlin assured, excusing himself and running off to the kitchen while Arthur said his thanks and Hunith modestly dismissed it.

“What does she mean, he's to make himself at home?” Merlin looked up from the cupboard where he was stashing the empty pots to find Will leaning on the side of the kitchen table, looking deeply wounded. “I've been coming here since I was five and she hasnever told me to make myself at home!”

Merlin shrugged. “Probably because you already act like you're at home, anyway,” he made sure to keep his voice low not to attract attention to them. “You've yet to tell me why you're here.”

“Do I need a reason to be here, now, other than wanting to talk to my friend? I'd like to know what _he_ 's doing here!” Will pointed at the lobby's direction with his thumb. “And from the looks of it, it's not the first time! Am I guessing wrong or your mother really _cooked_ for that tosser?”

“Shut up, Will,” Merlin whispered urgently. “Why don't you go wait on my room while I–”

“Oh, you stop right there, you sucker!” Will shook his head from side to side. “You might've ignored all of my texts–”

“All of your thousand of texts, you mean? Honestly, Will–” Merlin interrupted him, but Will wasn't listening.

“–but don't think for a moment you'll get rid of me that easily. You have a lot of explaining to do,” Will grabbed Merlin's backpack from the hallway and put it on the table, reaching for the zip.

“What are you–? You take your hands off that right fucking–” Merlin pulled his bag away from his fiend's reach before he could open it. “Have you gone insane? What the hell, Will?”

“Jeez, Merlin, there's no reason for you to freak out like this! It's not like I'm not used to seeing your dirty underwear–”

“Ahem,” Merlin nearly popped his eyes out at seeing Arthur at the kitchen door, his eyes cold and his posture stiff. “I'm leaving, Merlin. Thank you for your help. At my father's cottage,” he added before Merlin's blank face.

“Oh, sure!” Merlin said, trying not to look as guilty as he felt. “No problem. You're welcome.”

Will snorted, rolling his eyes. Arthur's glare at him was so ominous that Merlin shivered.

“Well then,” Arthur turned towards Merlin once again. “I'll see you tomorrow at nine.”

“Tomorrow at nine,” Merlin nodded. “Wait, I'll walk you to the door,” he gave two steps towards the hall before spinning around to face Will again, keeping his voice low. “You touch this bag and I'll cut your bollocks off, you hear me?”

“Ooh, spooky,” Will mocked and Merlin flipped him the bird.

Of course Hunith chose that moment to show up at the kitchen.

“Merlin!” she said, outraged. “Where are your manners?”

“I'm sorry, mom!” Merlin pressed his lips tight and left the kitchen in a hurry, waiting outside for Arthur to say his goodbye to Hunith.

“What was that about your dirty underwear?” Arthur whispered as he joined him outside, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “Do you make a habit of sniffing each other's laundry?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Stop picking up a fight. It's not my fault Will's here, okay?”

Arthur's nostrils flared as he tensed his jaw. He shook his head then, running his hand across his face. “Look, I've got to go. But tell your _friend_ I suggested him to fuck himself,” Arthur kept his tone of voice low, but his anger was showing in every syllable.

“Arthur,” Merlin said, sneaking a peek inside to make sure Will wasn't eavesdropping. “I think he suspects something.”

“Fuck,” Arthur run his fingers through his hair now.

“Merlin?” they heard Will's voice coming from the hall. “Can't your boss find his way out by himself? Or do you have to take him by the hand?”

“I'll shut your damned gob myself!” Arthur threatened, moving towards Will with closed fists when he showed up at the door again.

Merlin stepped between them. “Arthur, I've got this,” Merlin held Arthur's shoulder, but the blond kept his eyes locked on Will. “Arthur, _please_.”

Arthur backed off and rotated his shoulders like a wrestler preparing for fight, but he ended up taking his eyes away from Will.

“I'll call you later,” Arthur said, sending one last belligerent look at Will's way before turning his back and rushing down the staircase.

“Chickening out again, are you?” Will teased, ignoring Merlin's warn. “Just like you keep evading a rematch!”

“You lost, Seger!” Merlin heard Arthur's reply, coming from somewhere out of view. “Get over it!”

“Oh, you son of a bitch– Ouch!” Will cringed, hopping and holding his assaulted shin. “Why'd you do that?”

“Shut up or I'll kick the other one!” Merlin threatened angrily. “Go to my room. Now!”

Will made a peace gesture and opened his mouth to say something, but Merlin moved to kick him and he closed it again, rolling his eyes. He proceeded to Merlin's room, slamming the door shut.

“What's the matter?” Hunith asked when Merlin stopped by the kitchen to pick up his backpack. “Did something happen to him?”

Merlin shrugged. “You know Will. He's just grudging because I left him alone all weekend.”

“Oh, I don't know, he seems quite upset,” Hunith sounded worried. “He insisted on waiting when I told him you hadn't come back yet and wouldn't stop staring out the living room window since then. Do you think it has something to do with his mother, perhaps?”

“I don't think that's the case, but I'll talk to him,” Merlin tried to reassure her.

Merlin was about to leave when Hunith called him back, this time looking more at ease. “You look tired, dear. Everything worked out this weekend?”

“Oh, yeah,” Merlin allowed a small smile to take his features, swinging at the ball of his feet. “It was okay. Tiring, but in a good way.”

“I trust that the both of you have found the time to have some fun too?”

“Sure,” Merlin nodded. “Arthur has a video game collection. We played some,” he added and struggled to remember what else they had done which didn't involve sex in some extent, but couldn't think of much. “And watched some TV. And swam in a stream close by. And practiced some kicking.”

“Sounds good,” Hunith smiled sweetly, closing in to stroke Merlin's face. Her fingers lingered on Merlin's stubble. “I'm glad that you're getting along so well. Now go talk to Will and let me know if he mentions anything about Anne.”

“Alright.”

Merlin took a deep breath before entering his own room, dumping his bag in a corner and sitting down at the writing desk, facing his friend. Will was spread out on his bed. He was tossing a little rubber ball in the air and catching it. He made no sign of acknowledging Merlin's arrival.

“Look, Will–” Merlin started, but was cut off immediately.

“If you're planning on lying again, you can stop right fucking there,” Will sat up to stare him in the face. “I'm not stupid, you know?”

Merlin looked down at his hands, incapable of staring him in the eye.

Will took that as a permission to go on. “You have always been lazy and sloppy when it comes to your own appearance, but suddenly you started to dress up and fashion your hair just to go to work. You really think I wouldn't notice?” he paused to wait for an answer that didn't come. “I also noticed how you won't let go of your phone lately, always checking on it, locking yourself in the bathroom to text just so I couldn't see it–”

Merlin groaned and face-palmed, feeling his cheeks heating up from shame and regret, for having underestimated Will's powersof observation.

“I knew there was someone,” Will insisted. “I just couldn't understand why you wouldn't tell me. When you said you'd go on a road trip with Pendragon, I honestly thought you were making up this whole thing of odd jobs for your boss and country houses. At first, I though you were ignoring my texts, but then I tried calling you and it went straight to voice mail. But you wouldn't have neglected your phone if you weren't with _him_ , now would you?”

Will let go a humorless laugh and looked around like he was searching for something. “But there was still a chance it wasn't Pendragon and, believe me, I really hoped it wasn't him, even though–” he laughed again and there was a desperate edge to it, which made Merlin squirm, “even though it was right in front of me! Since day one, when I met him at the pub; the way he looked at me; the way he ogled at you at his party... Deep down, I always knew it. I just didn't want to face it! Fuck, Merlin!” he tossed the ball at the floor and it bounced on the wall, disappearing under the bed.

“Will, I wanted to tell you, but–” Merlin started to defend himself, but was interrupted again.

“Does your mom know?” he asked.

Merlin swallowed. “No one knows, Will,” he admitted, sorrowful. “No one can know, you see?”

“And why's that?”

“Because he's my supervisor!” Merlin groaned. “If anyone finds out, I'm kicked out of the company.”

Will's chin dropped in astonishment. “Is that what that motherfucker's doing? Is he threatening you?” he sounded enraged.

Merlin blinked, puzzled. “What?”

“Is Pendragon threatening to kick you out if anyone finds out?”

“No!” It was Merlin's turn to sound outraged. “Of course he isn't threatening me! He doesn't want to keep it secret either! But do you think there's any chance his father or his sister are gonna allow me stay if they suspect? Not to mention he's one of the company's director–”

“Merlin!” Will held him by the shoulders and shook him. “How can you be so fucking naive? Cant you see he's using you?”

“Using me? How? What do you mean, Will?”

“I mean _he_ doesn't want his family or his friends to know about you and keeps making excuses to keep your mouth shut!”

“Some of his friends know!” Merlin rebutted. “Gwaine knows. You met him at the pub. And probably Percy too–”

Will shook his head. “How about your mother, Merlin? Since when do you lie to your own mother?”

“Shhh!” Merlin shushed exasperated, looking at the door's direction. “Care to keep your voice down please?”

“It's your mother we're talking about!” Will continued, but had the decency to keep his tone down. “You didn't lie to her, not even when you broke that horrible porcelain duck she loved! Or when you cheated on your English tests for the first time, in second grade. You didn't even try to hide from her that you're gay, for fuck's sake!”

“Enough, Will!” Merlin snapped, furious. He couldn't tell if he was more angry at Will for saying those truths or with himself, though. Merlin got on his feet and started pacing around the room. “It's nothing like that, okay? You don't understand!”

“Do you?” Will prodded. “Don't your realize how easy it is for him to fool a green guy like you? Would you be willing to swear on your mother's life Arthur's not just trying to keep himself in the closet?”

“He's not gay.” Merlin clung to that little detail like a drowning man clinging to the sinking ship debris. “He never hooked up with a guy before.”

“Of course. I bet that's what he told the others too, and you're like, feeling you're the most special peace of shit,” Will disdained and it was Merlin's turn to gape at him, unbelieving. “Oh, just _think_ , Merlin. He's the heir to a billionaire company, son of some old-fashioned filthy rich man; you really think he'd risk to spread the word around that he's a fagot? He's just shitting himself that his father might disown him if he knew!”

“That's not true!” Merlin gripped his own hair, suddenly panting from struggling to counter-argue each one of those accusations inside his own head.

But what if Will was right? What if Arthur was lying about that? He seemed pretty sure of himself for someone figuring out his own sexuality. And experienced. They way he knew exactly what to do to Merlin didn't match with his words. Arthur was pretty skilled for someone who had never slept with a man before.

Still, Merlin didn't have anything to compare it with, had he? Particularly when he had no previous sexual experience, however remotely. And anyone could learn anything with a good internet access and some sense of research. That didn't really mean anything.

Merlin's thoughts were going in circles and he felt a bit queasy for a moment. He sat back down, facing Will. “It's nothing like that”, he said, trying to sound as confident as he had felt just a couple of minutes ago. “He wouldn't mind telling everyone if it wasn't for my contract.”

“Did he say so? Or are you just trying to convince yourself of that?”

Merlin let his head fall into his own open hands, trying to fight back the tears. Will was wrong. Will was utterly and totally wrong. Arthur was nothing like that.

Yet, the truth was Merlin had no actual proof of his own arguments. Arthur said he hated to keep that a secret, but he never actually told him he'd tell his family in case things were different.

Reluctantly, Merlin remembered Arthur's words only yesterday, about Merlin being his lover in a imaginary medieval context. At the time, Merlin had faced that as a sexual fantasy, something trilling, sexy and forbidden. However, now he was starting to question if that meant something beyond it. Would it be possible that Will was right? Was Arthur really making excuses not to bring their relationship to light? What if he had a hidden agenda? What if that whole talk was some kind of analogy between that scenario and their reality and Arthur was simply testing how submissive Merlin could be?

No, Merlin couldn't be honestly questioning Arthur's actions! Not after all they had gone through during that weekend!

God, this was so confusing!

“Listen, Will,” Merlin started again, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I know what you're trying to do and I'm thankful for your concern. But you've got it all wrong, okay? You don't know Arthur. He wouldn't lie to me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Will pushed. “You've only known him about, what? Six months? Merlin, I've known you your entire life. I know how you choose to believe the best of people. I mean, you've known me since I was five and you're still my friend. What better proof than that?”

Merlin chuckled and sniffed, wiping his nose. “Arthur's a good person. He just can't express his feelings very well, just like you pretend being a troublemaker most of the time.”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, I know you too, Will,” Merlin said. “I know you well enough to know that you're not as irresponsible as you want others to believe. I mean, I know it wasn'tyou who stole Prof. Hammer's asthma medication.”

Will seemed lost for a bit, but then he shrugged. “I wouldn't be so sure. Director Pipe seemed pretty convinced it was me.”

“I also know it wasn't you who broke Samatha Smith's glasses in fourth grade.”

“Jesus, wasn't that girl annoying.”

“Or who put peanut butter on Peterson's sandwich.”

Will pulled a face at that. Walter Peterson had had an anaphylactic shock and nearly died, that day. Will and Walter had never gotten along and for this reason people speculated about it and Will never cared to deny it, but Merlin knew his friend wouldn't be capable of doing such a thing.

“That's not the point, Merlin!”

Merlin shook his head. “The point is, I'm as sure about my judgment about him as I am about you. I _know_ he's a good person.”

“But he treats you like scum,” Will argued. “And don't try to deny it.”

Merlin continued shaking his head, though. “That's what he wants people to believe. He can't help acting like that. He's emotionally constipated.”

Will stared at him with a blank face. “Are you serious, Merlin? You really believe this shit?” he asked, and Merlin winced. “You mean this is the way he found to show you how special you are? You're a fucking _genius_ , Merlin, and he keeps making you carry boxes around all day when you could to better then most of his employees!”

“He's a completely different person when we're alone,” Merlin insisted, trying to make Will see what he knew to be hard to understand. Still, Merlin refused to let Will plant those doubts inside his head. Not after that weekend. He couldn't!

Merlin trusted Arthur like he never trusted anyone. He believed Arthur's very nature, the person he truly was behind all those layers and all that pose. Will had no way of knowing how serious Arthur took his job, treating people with respect, no matter their social level or position in the company; Will didn't got to see Arthur in the middle of those kids at the orphanage; nor had he experienced how it felt to be under Arthur protectiveness and care; neither had he witnessed the affectionate way he treated Merlin–

“I bet he only acts differently when you're alone,” Will snorted. “Which only proves how much of a fool he's making of–”

“Please drop it, Will,” Merlin begged, holding his friend's wrists and staring him in the eye. He could see the worry behind all that talk, despite Will's best efforts to hide it behind anger. “I know how to take care of myself, okay? And...” Merlin closed his eyes for a moment. “Alright, maybe you have a point,” he admitted, although reluctantly.

He didn't want to believe there was a chance, however small, that Arthur was doing it on purpose, but he wasn't as naive as Will thought him to be. Merlin didn't really believe Arthur was in love with him or something. Arthur probably felt some kind of ownership over him, more than anything else. Merlin knew since the beginning their relationship to be quite unconventional and twisted. Arthur took pleasure in bossing Merlin around to the same extent Merlin took pleasure in defying and obeying him, paradoxically. And, somehow, they both complemented each other's cravings. Arthur had never tried to deceive Merlin into thinking he loved him or something like that. In fact, he made it pretty clear their relationship was some kind of power and desire play, above all.

Arthur had stated that Merlin was 'his' a number of times. Not his boyfriend or something of the sort; just _his_. Arthur's meticulous plans, his constant fits of jealousy, the way he tried to control even Merlin's hair cut, the way he called the shots on Merlin in front of his friends... even that medieval fantasy; all that was probably Arthur's way of telling him he was in command. In time, Merlin had learned not to take it personally. After all, Arthur wasn't trying to humiliate him. Chances were that possessiveness was the only way Arthur knew how to show him he cared about him. In fact, Merlin felt relieved, to handing the reins over to Arthur, most of the time. Why would he care now?

Merlin took a deep breath before speaking again, firmly. “Maybe you're right and Arthur really wants to keep it in the closet or maybe he simply don't want anything serious with me, or yet... maybe he's just confused, but...” Merlin shook his head, sighing. “The truth is, the last couple of days were the best of my entire life. So, please, _please_ , don't ruin it for me.”

“Fuck,” Will shook him off and rubbed at his eyes, looking suddenly very tired. “You're so screwed, Merlin. So screwed...” When he looked up, though, he was back to his acerbic self again. “I mean, _literally_ screwed. I don't know how you can sit straight after a whole weekends taking it up you ass–”

Merlin shoved hard at him. “Shut _up_!” he pretended to be offended, when in reality he was thoroughly relieved. Will's reaction, more than his words, made him feel like an enormous weight had been lifted off his back and he experienced a wave of gratitude for his friend. “You're just jealous because I got some and you didn't.”

“We have very distinct ideas of how to 'get some', clearly.”

“It doesn't change the fact that you had to spent another weekend with your own hand.”

“How can you be so sure I didn't get laid?”

Merlin simply stared at him with an arched eyebrow.

“Oh, fuck you!” Will tossed one pillow at Merlin, who easily dodged the blow, chuckling. “What're you laughing about? You think you're so full of shit now that you're no longer a blushing virgin?” he tossed it at Merlin again. “Is that why you grew this ridiculous beard of yours? To send me some kind of message? Since when you're hiding it from me, you sucker? Is it since that time at the pub? Were you fucking then?”

“No! It's been just three weeks. I mean, it's been only one since we've been doing it.”

“One week! And you already think you're more experienced than me? Honestly, you can't even say it! ' _Doing it_ ', come on! How many times have you two had sex?”

“Well, I guess it depends on what you mean,” Merlin considered. “You mean just penetrative sex? Or hand jobs and blow jobs as well? 'Cause if you consider it all, I've really lost count. We've had sex through the phone as well, if you really wanna know–”

“Fuck, I hate you, you wanker! I hate you!” Will threw the pillow harder this time.

“Hey, I have to make up for lost time, you know?” Merlin explained, grabbing the pillow before Will could throw it again. “You have at least two years on me!”

“I think I'll be gay from now on.”

Merlin snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

“Alright, I wasn't cut out for it,” Will admitted, pulling a face. “But I should have! Man are so much easier to pull!”

“I sincerely doubt you'd be much better at pulling men, Will.”

“How dare you, you prick?” Will ditched the pillow and threw himself at Merlin, tackling him to the ground and poking him at the right places until Merlin couldn't breath or laugh anymore.

Then Merlin's phone went off.

“Shit! Will! Shit! Wait! Stop!” Merlin managed to escape from Will's attack and wiped his eyes, reaching for his phone in his jeans pocket. “It's Arthur.”

“Tell him to screw himself,” Will said, trying to poke Merlin on the side again, but Merlin moved away from his reach.

“Hey, Arthur,” Merlin answered the call and gestured for Will to keep his mouth shut.

“ _Hey... Everything okay_?” Arthur sounded a bit suspicious.

“Yeah, brilliant,” Merlin tried to sound serious, turning to the other side when Will began to tickle him again.

“ _You sound a little... short of breath_.”

“Oh, I was just laughing at Will's face.”

“Liar!” Will shouted, to what Merlin covered the phone's speaker to tell him to shut his fucking gob.

“ _Is he still there?_ ” Arthur sounded upset.

“Yeah, we were... having a chat.”

“About your sex life!” Will complemented and Merlin crossed the room to cover his mouth instead of the phone.

“ _What did he say?_ ”

“Nothing! He said nothing.”

“I said mphhh!” Will had managed to bat Merlin's hand away for a moment, but soon Merlin regained control.

“He said he's on his way out,” Merlin said, mouthing for him to fuck off.

“ _He knows, doesn't he?”_ Arthur asked after a brief silence.

“Yeah, he knows,” Merlin retracted his hand when Will threatened to bite him. “But he promised he won't tell a soul.”

“I didn't– Ouch!” Will recoiled. “Merlin, will you stop pinching my ass?”

“ _What?_ ” Arthur squealed at the other end. “ _Merlin!_ ”

“I didn't fucking pinch him anywhere, for God's sake! I kicked him in the shin! Hold on just a sec, Arthur.” Merlin covered the speaker again, throwing a murderous look at Will, who was still kneading his wounded chin. “Will, piss the fuck off.”

“But it–”

“Out!” Merlin insisted. “I have to work tomorrow morning and I'm exhausted.”

“Oh, I bet you are, after–”

“Get out of my face before I tell my mother you're feeling sick.”

“You wouldn't do that!” Will sounded outraged. “Last time, she forced me to take that awful herbal tea! Just remembering that I want to throw up.” He grimaced. “Jesus, I'm really getting sick now, see what you've done?”

Merlin opened the door and stuck his head out. “Mom!”

“I'm out! I'm out!” Will announced, rushing past him and Merlin closed the door behind him so fast it stuck him in the ankle. “That's just rude, you know?” Merlin heard him mumbling outside. “Oh, it's nothing, aunt Hunith... I'm on my way.”

“Done,” Merlin said to the phone again, feeling relieved as he fell onto his own bed. “He's gone now.”

“ _You sure everything's alright?_ ” Arthur sounded doubtful.

“One hundred percent,” Merlin assured him. “Don't worry, he won't tell anyone.”

“ _I don't give a shit if he's asking for a press conference right now, Merlin. I'm talking about you. Are_ you _alright?_ ”

“Oh,” Merlin said, surprised. “Sure. I'm good.”

“ _Don't forget we have an early schedule tomorrow._ ”

“I won't.”

“ _Great. Lunch's on me._ ”

“But I was gonna–”

“ _This is my excuse to take you to a nice restaurant, Merlin. I won't take no for an answer. You can manage without your mother's food for a day.”_

Merlin released the air from his lungs, giving up any complaint. “I miss you already,” he mumbled instead, biting his lower lip as he heard Arthur's sigh at the other end.

“ _I miss you too. I keep closing my eyes and imagining you're here with me._ ”

Merlin closed his own eyes and pictured Arthur there, by his side. He could almost hear him breathing soundly, sleepy. Merlin felt a sudden tightness in the chest, swallowing the sappy words that threatened to go out of his mouth.

“ _Good night, Merlin._ ”

“Good night, Arthur.”

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **¹** Picture this scene with _I want to Break Free_ playing in the background, please? XD
> 
>  **²** _Lean On – Major Lazer._
> 
>  **A.N.:** Just so you know, I have never read any of Geoffrey of Monmouth's works, like Arthur has, so I just gathered some information on the internet. I'm sorry if anything's amiss.


	18. Part 2 - Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning at the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind the warning at the end!

**Chapter 17**

 

**25th week**

As he got back to work, Merlin told himself to be satisfied with the little he could have. Visiting clients with Arthur in the mornings also meant that they could hold each other's hands on the drive and even steal a peck now and again, at the red lights. The downside was that Arthur often got impossibly jealous when people noticed Merlin wherever they went, despite denying it fervently when Merlin pointed out that fact.

“Jealous? Me?” Arthur had said, completely outraged. “I'm just saying it was highly unprofessional of that... _prick_ to patronize you like that.”

“He was merely being kind, offering to help me with the equipment!” Merlin reasoned.

“You didn't need any help. I've seen you carry twice that weight without even being out of breath. It's quite judgmental of him to think you're a wimp just because you're slim.”

“Slim?” Merlin marveled. “Wow! You have _never_ used that word to describe me before. Actually, I can easily recall a few occasions you called me skinny and complained about my bony behind.”

“We're not talking about me here, Merlin!” Arthur said with an eye-roll. “We're talking about that nosy, impertinent assistant! He didn't have to keep opening doors for you as if you were a damned girl!”

“My hands were full!” Merlin said exasperatedly.

“But I was right at your side, wasn't I? I could very well had opened the bloody door for you!”

“Oh, sure,” Merlin said, sardonic. “Because there's nothing wrong with it when _you'_ re treating me like a girl, but if anyone _dares_ to–” 

“Focus, Merlin! Focus! We're talking about that insolent dumbass, remember? Honestly, and to think you keep telling me _I'm_ overbearing!”

Arthur took him out to lunch on a fancy restaurant later, despite Merlin's arguments about not been dressed for the occasion – all the other male patrons were wearing social attire, complete with ties and expensive looking shoes, tailored suits and everything. Merlin needed assistance with his menu, but had to acknowledge that the food was excellent. Some people sent them speculative looks, making him feel a little self-conscious, but Arthur didn't seem to be bothered in the least about being seen with Merlin.

When they got back to the company's building after lunch, they met Gwaine at the garage.

“Is this what you call subtlety?” Gwaine said, walking with them towards the lift. “Spending the morning out, arriving from lunch together–”

“Don't you have another soul to pester, Gwaine?” Arthur asked, pointing at the surveillance cabin. “The doorman seems quite lonely, don't you think?”

“Unfortunately, my lunch break's over,” Gwaine said, sounding pained. “I'm afraid he'll have to wait until the end of my shift.”

“Poor him,” Arthur said, sarcastic. He motioned for Merlin to get in the lift first then and Merlin rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment on it.

“So, Merlin,” Gwaine started, stepping between them on the lift and looking from one to the other. “How was Newbury?”

“What?” Merlin faked confusion and, by the way Arthur grunted, Merlin suspected he hadn't mentioned to Gwaine that they had spent the weekend on the cottage either.

“Pretty sunny, I suppose,” Gwaine looked from Merlin to Arthur again. “Did Arthur show the little stream for you?'

“Gwaine...” Arthur said in a warning tone.

“I bet he did,” Gwaine continued, unfazed. “And I bet you were quite busy over the weekend, since you apparently didn't even have the time to shave!”

Merlin's eyes nearly popped out and he stared at his own reflex on the mirror behind, searching for some missed spot on his face even if he had shaved meticulously that morning. Arthur's face was also smooth, Merlin had checked that by touching, smelling and tasting – Arthur's aftershave had a very peculiar taste.

“How can you possibly know that?” it was Arthur who posed the question, seeming shocked.

Merlin was asking himself the same thing. Was Arthur used to take all of his dates to Newbury? Was Gwaine one of them?

“Well, I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but the fact that you have sunburns only on the upper parts of your cheeks was a hint. But then you both just confirmed it with your guilty reactions,” he shrugged, looking smug, “Like I said, you're not being subtle at all.”

“Pity we can't continue this oh!, so pleasant chat, Gwaine,” Arthur said with forced sweetness when they reached the forth floor, holding the door open for Gwaine to leave. “Have a nice week!”

“I'll stop by CRM's later, Merlin!” Gwaine assured happily before the door closed, leaving him behind.

“You think we're being too obvious?” Merlin asked, even though deep inside he already knew the answer to that question.

“Nah, of course not,” Arthur dusted his suit jacket, looking untroubled. “Don't listen to what Gwaine says. He's only impatient to collect the money from the pool. And, for some reason, he loves to annoy me.”

As soon as they got to the seventh floor, Merlin nearly bumped into Sophia Feix as he stepped out of the lift.

“Oh!” Sophia took a step back, startled, but then her face became crossed. “Merlin. Why don't you look where you're– Arthur!” she cut herself short again at noticing Arthur behind him. Her expression became charming, suddenly. “Oh, there you are! I was looking for some company to have lunch today... Everybody has already gone and I got left behind,” her pout was so ridiculously childish, Merlin raised his eyebrows as he looked back at Arthur.

“Actually, I just had lunch, Feix,” Arthur stepped aside to clear the way to the lift, but Sophia walked to Arthur instead, seeming to have quickly recovered from the disappointment.

“Well, lunch can wait, then,” she smiled again, blinking repeatedly to bring attention to her elongated eyelashes. “I've got to show you some of the atrocities I found on the last report I reviewed.”

Arthur merely frowned, moving out of the way when some guys from the Maintenance emerged from the staircase. “I'm sure it can wait another hour,” he said, barely paying any attention to the woman. “I don't want to hold you up.”

“I insist,” Sophia said gravely. “I'm not talking about some silly slip-ups. I'm talking about some absurd mistakes and I believe it to be of the highest importance that you're aware of that right away.”

“Go ahead, then,” Arthur motioned for her to go first and Sophia nearly bumped into Merlin again, frowning her upper lip in disdain before making her way back to the CRM room.

“Do you usually have lunch with Miss Feix, _Arthur_?” Merlin asked, mimicking Sophia's high-pitched voice when calling her boss by his given name.

Arthur shrugged. “Sometimes.”

Merlin stared at him, baffled. “Really?”

“Yes.” Arthur turned to face him, stopping just a few inches short from him and assessing him closely. “Why the shock?”

“You're kidding me, right?” Merlin tried not to sound upset, but failed awfully, judging by Arthur's crooked smile.

“Why, Merlin, are _you_ jealous?” Arthur asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Of course I'm jealous!” Merlin snapped, disguising his hurt with anger. “That bitch doesn't even bother to try and pretend that she isn't hitting on you and you happen to have lunch with her regularly? Are you keeping her interested for when you dump me, is that it?”

“ _When_ I dump you?” Arthur laughed. “That's ridiculous even for your standards, Merlin!”

Merlin pressed his lips tight shut, closing his fists. For the first time in a long while, Merlin felt humiliated. Not just by the condescending way Arthur treated him at that very moment, but also by the way he seemed to be having a laugh at his expense. Merlin turned his back on him, stomping to the office. Before he could reach for the doorknob, though, Arthur grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him to the opposite side of the corridor.

“Let me go!” Merlin tried to free himself, but Arthur pulled him into the loo with ease.

“Hey, hey, easy,” Arthur said, holding him by the arms and pushing him against the wall after making sure that they were alone there. “You don't need to get your knickers in a twist for that!”

“Fuck you, Arthur!” Merlin tried to release his arms from the man's grip, but Arthur merely held him tighter.

“Merlin, listen to me,” Arthur called and Merlin glowered at him, breathing hard. “There aren't that many restaurants up close, you know? Therefore, _sometimes_ , I have lunch with the guys from the office. And, _sometimes,_ Feix is part of this group of people!”

Merlin stopped fighting against Arthur's grip and slumped, but kept squinting at him with open distrust. “You've never gone out with her, then?”

“Never!” Arthur attested, still looking somewhat stunned by Merlin's heated reaction.

“Right...” Merlin continued facing him, earning an eye-roll from Arthur.

“I swear!” he insisted. “I'm not remotely interested in Feix. And I definitely don't plan to _dump_ you for anyone else, let alone her!”

“Oh...” Merlin let his hands fall limply at his sides.

For a moment, he feared Arthur's reaction, then. What if he disapproved of Merlin's rebellious act? Sometimes, Arthur's power games were so intense Merlin thought he'd lose interest in him the moment he started to show insubordination. Besides that, now that the anger had backed away, he was starting to find his own reaction quite exaggerated – not to mention childish.

To his surprise and relief, though, Arthur chuckled and lowered his face to the curve of his neck, taking a deep breath. “You know... You've never showed to be jealous of me before,” he mumbled, nuzzling Merlin's jaw. Merlin closed his eyes, swallowing dry. “I didn't know you had all this... potential in you.”

“Me either,” Merlin confessed, feeling a bit embarrassed for the scene he had just made on nothing. “I'm sorry, Arthur. I–”

Before he could complete his thought, they heard a couple of knocks on the door and Arthur moved away quickly, stopping by the sink at the exact moment the door opened and Sophia peeked inside.

“Arthur?” she asked with her annoyingly high-pitched voice.

Merlin sighed, crossing his arms and trying not to look as frustrated as he felt, at the moment.

“Feix, in case you hadn't noticed yet, the sign on the door means this is the men's room,” Arthur said sarcastically, washing his hands and drying them up.

“I'm sorry, it's just that I though you were right behind me, but then you disappeared and–”

“I was giving Merlin a few last minutes instructions,” Arthur cut her off, sounding distressed. “I'm on my way.”

“Okay,” Sophia forced the corners of her lips up, but became serious again when facing Merlin before stepping back out.

“Idiot,” Arthur said as soon as the door closed and, despite Merlin had been called that same name numerous times before, there was a slight distinction in Arthur's tone that made all the difference at the meaning. “Come on, Merlin.”

“I'll be there in a moment,” Merlin said, jerking his head towards the urinal.

“Alright,” Arthur said, opening the door. “And don't forget to shred the papers by the printer,” he made sure to raise his voice in his best commanding tone. “If that pile of paper doesn't vanish until four o'clock, I won't let you go down to Development, understand?”

“Yes, sire,” Merlin answered loud and clear and Arthur blinked at him before leaving.

“ _Feix, what could possibly be so important that can't wait even five minutes?_ ” Merlin heard Arthur's voice coming from the hallway.

“ _Oh, you're definitely not going to like it,_ ” Sophia sounded conspiratorial. “ _I think Zinke's becoming too soft with his team._ ”

“ _You really think so_?” Arthur's answering tone was so frosty, Merlin couldn't help but smile to himself.

Sophia clearly had no clue of what she was getting herself into, speaking ill of Alator Zinke  to none other than Arthur. Merlin could already picture Arthur staring at her as if she was a bug about to be squashed. Unfortunately, the door closed up then, muffling the rest of the exchange outside.

Merlin walked closer to the mirror and stared resolutely at his own reflexion. “Did you see that?” he said to himself. “Do you see how different he treats you? Will's wrong. Arthur cares about you. Never doubt that again.”

Despite all that pep talk, though, deep inside Merlin felt more confused than never with Arthur's mixed signals. God, why didn't anyone tell him how complicated relationships really were? Or was it just Merlin who felt that way?

.Merlin.

The week had started quite promising. The escape from the rut over the last weekend had made Arthur feel more relaxed and the fact that Merlin was spending more time near him made some part of Arthur feel more appeased. Yet, things were far from being perfect. They hadn't met a single time outside the office, which made Arthur feel more frustrated than ever, even after spending a whole weekend in bed with Merlin. Arthur also couldn't help snapping at everyone most of the time, the same way Merlin seemed to be incapable of not being friendly with everyone. On top of all that, there was the fact that Arthur had given his blessing for Merlin to spend one or two hours a day at another division, by the end of the shift. Every fucking day.

Merlin seemed terribly pleased with the arrangement, to make things worst. He always came back to retrieve his backpack talking excitedly, mentioning Isolde and Alator now and again, describing his new experiences with glowing eyes and Arthur felt his mood darken at every word, no matter how much he knew it to be unfair with Merlin.

On Friday morning, when nine o'clock came and passed by, Arthur found that he couldn't contain himself with impatience. Merlin had sent him a text at eight-fifty-nine telling he'd be late because of a commotion on the tube, but that had only served to make him feel more anxious and worried. At nine-fifteen, Merlin arrived out of breath and with a broad smile at his face. Arthur tensed up his jaw, not knowing if he was more crossed with Merlin or with himself.

“What took you so long?” Arthur asked as soon as Merlin stuck his head inside his office, before even dropping his backpack at his workstation.

“There was a police chase at the tube station!” Merlin said, eyes wide and panting with excitement. “It took me a while to figure out what was going on. A guy stormed in the station, walking all over people, but the doors wouldn't open when the tube arrived and then there were sirens and people started to scream, trying to move away from the cops... It was a real mess!” he summed up. “They kicked everyone out of the station and I had to run to the next one. But I promise I'll stay fifteen minutes after my shift to compensate,” he added and then looked down at Arthur's desk. “What happened here?”

“What do you think?” Arthur asked, biting. “I was searching for the bloody stapler!”

“Second drawer, in the back–” Merlin started to say, but Arthur cut him off.

“Yeah, yeah, now I've found it,” he curled his lip in disdain. “But I used yours yesterday evening.” He pointed to the mess on his desk. “It should me somewhere around here.”

Merlin sighed, dropping his backpack on one of the chairs.

“You can start by tidying up the cabinet,” Arthur said when Merlin moved to arrange the desk.

Merlin groaned. “You mean you trashed the cabinet too?”

“I said I was searching for the stapler!”

“But I always keep it on the second drawer–”

“I have thousands of things to worry about, Merlin. Do you really think I'm to recall the exact location of the fucking stapler?”

Merlin stared at him for a moment with his lips pressed tight. “You've not had your breakfast this morning, have you?” he asked.

Arthur stood up in a moment, holding Merlin's collar and pulling him over the desk to stare him eye to eye, nearly causing him to fall over it, his eyes wide. “I'll have  _you_ for breakfast!” he said through gritted teeth. He let go of Merlin's T-shirt then before he did something stupid. Arthur run his hand through his hair to calm down, facing Merlin's stunned face. “You take care of this mess. I'll be right back.”

Arthur left the office before Merlin could say something. He ignored his staff's scared looks and walked to the men's room, splashing some water on his face and taking a couple of deep breaths. Merlin wasn't to blame over Arthur's foul mood. It wasn't fair to take it out on him like that. He had to take hold of himself before he ended up hurting Merlin for good. He couldn't sort out the exact emotion on Merlin's face during his lash out, if he was only shocked or if there was some hint of resentment in it and the doubt was making Arthur scared of facing him again.

Arthur recalled Merlin's wounded expression by the beginning of this week, when Arthur had made fun of Merlin's confession about being jealous of him. It wasn't the first time he had caused that kind of reaction on Merlin and it probably wouldn't be the last. The first occasion happened when Arthur had played that nasty trick on Merlin on his first week of internship, but they weren't close at the time. The second time was when Merlin caught him with Elena, but back then Arthur didn't know Merlin reciprocated his feelings. This time, though, Arthur had no excuses for screwing up like that. Yet, somehow he was losing control over himself and that made him terrified of the possible consequences for his own behavior.

What if he had crossed the line again? Merlin was always so pliant and understanding, Arthur feared the moment the boy would lose his temper on him. He had asked Merlin for one chance, but no one could blame Merlin in case he dumped him. Arthur would probably never have another chance, if he fucked it up again.

Shaking his head to himself, Arthur gathered some nerve and walked back to his office, not even noticing the way people seemed to step out of his way. Everyone but Merlin, who had already finished tiding up his desk and now was organizing his cabinet.

Arthur cleared his throat as he stepped in. Merlin peeked over his shoulder then turned his attention back to his task before Arthur could draw any conclusions on his mood.

With a long-suffering sigh, Arthur returned to his chair, checking his email for incoming. He tried to think of something to say, but he didn't know where to start. He should probably apologize. He should definitely apologize. He opened his mouth to do just that, but Merlin was faster.

“All done,” Merlin stated and Arthur spun the chair around to look at him while Merlin contemplated his own work. “It wasn't that bad, after all. There are a few old files here. I can take them to the storage room, if you'd like.”

Arthur felt lost for a moment, but soon recovered from the unexpected lightness of Merlin's tone. “Sure,” he agreed. “That'd be great.”

“Okay,” Merlin closed the cabinet door and turned around to face him. He opened the first drawer on Arthur's desk, then. “I know I havealready said this a million times over, but let's do this again. First drawer,” he pointed to the contents of said drawer, now all neatly organized. “Pens, pencils, eraser, staple remover, all in this organizer. The notepads are in the bottom. Second drawer,” he closed the first and pulled the second open. “All the rest. I'm keeping the stapler right in front, but it can tumble if you pull it open too suddenly, so try looking in the back if you can't see it right away. And I think you should take me out to lunch today,” he concluded, closing the drawer and staring at him with an arched brow.

“What?” Arthur asked, slightly dumbfounded, glancing at Merlin's backpack. “Haven't you brought your lunch from home?”

After that first day, when Arthur had taken him to the restaurant, Merlin had informed Arthur he'd be bringing his own lunch over for the rest of the week and he had had his lunch break on the kitchen with the other staff and interns since then. Arthur wasn't particularly happy about that, but he had to agree that Gwaine had a point and that it'd raise people's suspicion if they had lunch together every day.

“Yeah, but I think I can make an exception today.” Merlin folded his arms over his chest. “So. What do you say?”

Arthur pretended to consider it for a while. “I think I can find some time for you in my schedule. But it's going to cost you.”

“Sounds fair,” Merlin nodded. “Do you happen to accept all means of payment?”

“Surprise me.”

.M.

Arthur pushed the back of his head against the headrest and grunted, grabbing a fistful of Merlin's hair to keep him in place as he spilled in his mouth, bucking his hip up into his soft lips to enjoy the most of his orgasm. Only then he let go of Merlin's hair, allowing his own hands to drop at his sides, thoroughly sated. Merlin licked him clean and Arthur's softening penis throbbed in appreciation for the gesture.

“Consider this an advanced payment,” Merlin said, straightening up on the passenger seat and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“There are a few tissues in the glove compartment,” Arthur said, closing his eyes to get himself together before returning the favor.

“Is it just me or you've prepared for the chance that we'd have sex in your car?” Merlin asked, as he opened the glove box. “No need to answer; I can see the condoms.”

Arthur laughed. “Well, you never know when you'll need those things,” he shrugged.

“Oh, shit.”

Arthur heard Merlin swearing and opened his eyes, still amused. Merlin was gaping through Arthur's window, his eyes nearly popping out of it's sockets.

“Er... Arthur?” he said, slowly.

Arthur followed Merlin's line of sight and saw Leon crossing the parking area towards them, his brow furrowed. Arthur cursed and hurriedly zipped up and straightened out his trousers.

“Do you want me to jump to the back?” Merlin offered, sounding somewhat terrified. “He shouldn't have seen me yet, the glass is dark and–”

“Don't be ridiculous. Stay right where you are,” Arthur said, finishing clasping his belt at the exact moment Leon knocked on the car window.

Arthur forced a smile upon his face as he slid the window down. “Hey, Leon! Is there a problem?”

“No, I–” Leon cut himself off when he spotted Merlin, his eyebrows lifting impossibly high. “Merlin!” he said, looking confused for a moment.

“Leon,” Merlin said back, completely abashed.

“Everything alright here?” Leon looked from one to the other.

“Yeah, it's perfectly fine,” Arthur acted untroubled.

“I thought I saw you leave on your lunch break about twenty minutes ago,” Leon commented. “Then I saw the headlights on and... well...” he trailed off.

“Oh, well, Merlin and I are...” Arthur tried to think of something reasonable to say, but came with nothing. He took the keys out from the starter, turning off the headlights in an attempt to buy some time, but he still had no idea what to say. In a purely impulsive reaction, then, he decided to pass the buck. “Merlin, tell Leon what we're doing.”

Merlin's eyes got rounder, “W-We're...” Merlin took a look around, seeming about to panic before he made up his mind. “I was teaching him some poetry.”

“ _Poetry_?” Leon repeated, sounding baffled.

Arthur couldn't blame him for the reaction, since he could barely believe his own ears himself. Instead of letting it show, though, he found himself nodding. “I... love poetry,” he said, trying to sound unaffected and failing spectacularly.

Leon simply gawked at them some more.

“I was as surprised as you are,” Merlin continued, jittery. “I was talking about my literature classes back at secondary school and I told him I could still remember some poems my teacher forced us to memorize and Arthur asked me to teach him. Turns out he can't get enough of it! I had to improvise some lines, to tell you the truth.”

“Oh, you also compose them?” Leon exclaimed, looking even more amazed.

“No, no, no,” Merlin said quickly. “I don't compose, actually. I just winged it a little here. You know how Arthur is when he can't get what he wants–”

“But he sucks at it,” Arthur cut him off, closing his fists tight to fight back the urge to cuff Merlin in the back of the head when he started to cough.

“Huh,” Leon's eyebrows were still up. “He sucks, does he?”

“Yeah, don't ask him to recite it again. It was awful.”

“Funny, I had the clear impression you enjoyed my poetry very much,” Merlin had recovered enough from his coughing fit to sound snarky and Arthur sent him a warning glance from the corner of his eye.

“Well,” Leon said, straightening up, even though he kept staring at them quite strangely. “I'll leave you to your... poetry then,” he waved goodbye before turning his back on them, walking towards his own car.

Arthur hit Merlin's thigh hard. “Poetry!” he cried out, outraged. “That's the best you could come up with? How did you possibly came with that, anyway?”

“I'm sorry, I panicked!” Merlin said nervously. Pulling a flier from the glove box. “And then I came across this and, well, it was out before I could hold my tongue.”

Arthur grabbed the flier from Merlin's hand, reading the headline, which said: ' _Contemporary Poetry Recital_ '. Arthur had probably got it from someone on the streets and shoved it in there without really looking what it was about.

“I can't believe it!” Arthur shook his head, crushing the flier and throwing it on a trash bag he kept in the car.

“What did you want me to say?” Merlin asked, sounding bothered.

“Oh, I don't know. Something that didn't make me sound like a love struck girl, perhaps?” Arthur snapped back, ironic.

“Hey, it's not like you didn't already know I suck at improvising,” Merlin defended himself. “Why did you tell me to do it, then? I bet you could've come up with a perfectly logical reason for us been here, locked in your convertible car, at the company's parking lot, during lunch time, for about half an hour!”

“Fuck!” Arthur checked his watch and rubbed his face. “I guess you're not in the mood for a retribution right now?” Arthur looked down on Merlin's crotch, but there was no sign of arousal there.

“Not really, no,” Merlin crossed his arms over his chest.

Arthur sighed, hitting his head against the headrest and cursing himself internally. He checked his watch again. “Alright, I hate to propose it, but how do you feel about we heading to a drive-through? I promise I'll make it up to you later.”

Merlin didn't look too tempted by the offer, but shrugged. “Okay, but it's going to cost you.”

“I'll pay it gladly,” Arthur agreed immediately. “However you want me to. Whatever you want me to do.”

Merlin gaped at him at hearing those words, looking stunned. “Okay, then. Fast food it is!” he said at last, looking considerably more excited as he buckled up.

Arthur fastened his seat-belt as well, starting the car and steering out of the building.

“Are you feeling better?”

Confused, Arthur looked at Merlin after pressing the button to roll the roof down as soon as they were out of the parking lot. “What? Me?”

“Yeah, you were pretty tense this morning,” Merlin said and Arthur switched his eyes from the traffic to the boy.

“You mean you planned all this just to make me feel more relaxed?” Arthur asked, incredulous. He pinched Merlin's thigh hard. “ _Mer_ lin!”

Merlin laughed at his reaction. “Well, it worked, didn't it?” he asked.

“Of course it worked. But these things don't last, you know? I can't guarantee I won't be all tensed up again in fifteen minutes or so.”

“Oh, shut up,” Merlin sounded amused, but then Arthur saw when he went serious again, at a sudden. “Do you think Leon suspects anything?”

“Probably,” Arthur admitted. “Not only because of your reaction, but also because you still have a little bit of cum on the corner of you mouth–”

“Fuck!” Merlin cried out, wiping his mouth and searching for his reflection on the rear-view mirror while Arthur laughed his ass off. “Oh, you fucking wanker! I'm serious!”

“I'm serious too,” Arthur stared back at him, even though he couldn't keep his tone of voice from showing his amusement. “Leon's no idiot. If he didn't have any suspicions before, he's gonna start having them now.”

“And you don't think he's going to tell you sister?” Merlin pressed on.

“Leon won't say a thing,” Arthur assured him. “I trust him. There's a reason he's my best friend, you know?”

“Yeah, but he also happens to be your sister's boyfriend!” Merlin insisted. “And Morgana's much scarier than you are.”

“No, she's not!” Arthur reacted, indignant, and turned to face Merlin when they reached a red light. “Are you really that worried about it?”

“Aren't you?” Merlin returned the question, his brow furrowed.

Arthur had no idea of what to expect of Morgana's reaction, in case she knew about them. She took her responsibilities quite seriously when it came to her position at the company, therefore it was very likely she'd transfer Merlin to another division. But it was Uther's reaction Arthur feared the most.

His father was never very tolerant of what he considered to be 'modernity', whereby sexual diversity was on the top of his list of absurdities from the new generations. One of the first actions Morgana took after taking over Internal Procedures Direction was changing the People Management Politics, assuring respect and equalty of opportunities for all, regardless of their sexual orientation, in order to make the company more flexible and well thought of in the eyes of society. Despite Uther have being favorable to the changes after Morgana's reasoning, he kept his conservative and narrow-minded understanding of the subject. He definitely wouldn't be happy to know Arthur was seeing another man, let alone an intern of his own company. If he heard wind of any allusion about that, Arthur had no doubts Merlin would be kicked out the next minute.

And, if he cared to be honest with himself, however much Arthur wished to shout from the rooftops that Merlin was his and no one else's, he wasn't sure if he was ready to assume his sexuality to the rest of the world. He tried not to over think it, but the idea of being judged by people because of that wasn't pleasant in the least, especially given his position as a director. He needed to be respected if he aimed for his team loyalty and commitment and, no matter how much things had changed since Morgana had taken the company's reins, people's mentality was still the same as always.

“You _are_ worried,” Arthur stated, instead of answering to the question.

Merlin looked away. Arthur knew he was no idiot either, even though he insisted on calling him one. Merlin wouldn't risk loosing his internship. Arthur was aware that he helped his mother pay the bills with his paycheck and they couldn't afford losing it. Not to mention he seemed pretty interested in being hired as a permanent employee. Yet, would it be possible that there was another reason for him to fear it going public?

Was Merlin having second thoughts about his relationship with Arthur? After all, if they were caught, Merlin would also be judged and gossiped about amongst other employees and interns as the director's lover. That'd possibly put an end to his career in Pendragon Consulting before it even began.

Or worse yet, was Merlin ashamed of Arthur?

“Look, Merlin,” Arthur said, shaking that line of thought away. “If my sister finds out, we'll figure it out. There's no point in worrying about it now.”

Arthur heard Merlin sigh, keeping his head turned away. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a while.

They made their orders at the drive-through and drove back to work while eating.

“We should go to the pub today,” Merlin said after a long silence, licking the grave dripping across his finger. “Or, at least _you_ should go.”

“Why?” Arthur asked, trying not to bite the paper napkin he had wrapped around his sandwich to avoid messing his clothes while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. “I though we agreed on you coming to mine tonight!”

“I know, but...” Merlin sipped at his soda before finishing his though. “Gwaine has a point. We're being too obvious. He figured it out first; then Will; Percy probably knows too; now Leon... Soon it'll be common knowledge!”

Arthur chewed slowly while contemplating it. Last Sunday, when Arthur was leaving Merlin's house and Merlin said he suspected Seger to know about them, Arthur had feared that he'd spread the word around for everyone to hear out of sheer spite, but the truth was Arthur was glad he knew. This way he didn't have to worry about him hitting on Merlin, however remote the possibility. The others, though...

They where  _his_ friends. Arthur would trust them with his life. Yet, the more people knew, the risk wa greater of it getting out of hand. Despite the other reasons to keep it all secret, both his own and Merlin's, Arthur had to make sure Merlin stayed at Pendragon until the end of his contract and fight for him to get acknowledged for his own merits, go give him a chance of being hired. All he had to do was wait six more months.

Arthur grunted. Six whole months! Merlin was right, they had to be more careful.

“Alright, we'll go to the pub,” Arthur granted, even though reluctantly so. “Bu you'll have to agree to stay the night at mine.”

Merlin hesitated for a second before nodding. “Deal. After all, you owe me one,” Merlin's eyebrows wobbled suggestively. “And you said you'd do whatever I liked.”

Arthur cleared his throat, suddenly concerned. “Well, about that... Maybe I should had mentioned a few safeguards.”

“What kind of safeguards?” Merlin asked, finishing his soda and pointing to Arthur's. “Are you gonna drink this?”

“Be my guest,” Arthur allowed. “Well, for starters, I rather continue topping,” he avoided Merlin's eyes with the pretext of paying attention to the traffic.

Merlin nearly choked on his drink, punching himself in the chest and coughing. “Sure,” Merlin agreed as soon as he got his voice back. “Don't worry about that. I'm a bottom. Full stop.”

Arthur allowed himself to relax again, relieved that they had cleared that out. “I'm also not a fan on S&M. Cuffs, whips, leather clothes, and so on.”

“God, Arthur!” Merlin face-planted. “I swear I had nothing like that on my mind!”

“I enjoy a bit of Role Play now and again, but don't try and convince me to dress up like a Sexy Fireman or put on a elephant brief or something of the likes.”

Merlin blinked and then shook his head. “Wait, my brain just short-circuited. Did you say Sexy Fireman?” he asked and Arthur squinted at him. “Hey, it was you who gave me the idea! It had never crossed my mind before, but now that you mentioned it...”

“Alright,” Arthur rolled his eyes. “Perhaps I can agree to do it one of these days, if you make a point, but I'd have to approve the costume beforehand. As for dressing _you_ in a costume, though...” he used another head light to assess Merlin from head to toe, watching as his amusement turned into apprehension. “I wouldn't really mind. Actually, I cant think of some pretty interesting costumes.”

Merlin swallowed audibly. “You're kidding me, right?”

“Relax, Merlin,” Arthur tried to sound reassuring. “We can start with something simple, like an apron. Or garter belts. I bet your legs would be astonishing in pantyhose.”

Arthur held Merlin's shocked look for some time before throwing his head back in a laugh. Merlin was furious and nearly toppled Arthur's sandwich on his trousers. Fortunately, though, they reached the parking lot right in time, relatively clean and composed and Arthur returned to work considerably more light-headed.

He spent the rest of the afternoon texting Merlin with costume suggestions.

.M.

“What're you doing here?” Arthur asked as he arrived at the pub with Elyan, Gwen and Lance, meeting no one other than Morgana there, sitting by Leon's side.

“Same as you,” Morgana answered, unfazed. “Mingling.” She winked and finished her drink in a go. “By the way, you arrived just in time! Be a dear and by me a drink, will you?”

“Me too!” Gwaine joined in, raising his bottle in a greeting. “And Percy too, if you don't mind. You know him, he's too polite to ask himself.”

“No, I'm not,” Percy defended himself readily.

“Hey, Arthur!” Leon was the only one who had the trouble to get on his feet to shake his hand. “I'm glad you came tonight.”

“We missed you around here,” Elyan said, taking a seat at the opposite side of the table.

“What he means to say is that he wants you to buy him a beer too!” Gwaine enlightened humorously. “And I'd bring Merlin one too, if I were you. Something tells he'll be here soon.”

“Oh, Merlin usually comes too, right?” Morgana sounded amazed. “I remember seeing him here, last time I came.”

“He doesn't come often,” Gwen said, helpful. “Actually, it's been some time since he last showed up too.”

“As has Arthur!” Gwaine nodded, scratching at his chin pensively. “What a coincidence, isn't it?”

Arthur sent him a warning look before rolling his eyes. “Alright, I'll need a hand to bring that  **many** orders.”

Leon was already moving to stand up when Morgana beat him to it. “I'll join you,” she volunteered.

Arthur grunted, but turned around, leading the way to the bar.

Morgana turned her back on the counter, resting her elbows on it and facing Arthur. “So, how was Newbury?” she asked.

“Same as always,” Arthur was careful to keep his tone of voice neutral. He hadn't mentioned where he were to spend the weekend, but it was no wonder that she had figured it out on her own.

“I haven't been there in a while,” she said nostalgically. “Is the tree house still up?”

“Pretty much,” Arthur shrugged. “It's in serious need of a reshape, but I find I'm more inclined to finish pulling it down, to tell you the truth. Any objections?”

“Not at all,” Morgana assured, pulling a face. She was probably recalling the skunk incident.

“And how was the cocktail” Arthur asked, knowing that she expected him to mention last Saturday's event. After all, she had avoided him all week because of that.

“Tedious, as always,” she said, curling her upper lip in disdain. “Guess who I met there?”

Only by her tone of voice, Arthur already had a clue. “Cenred,” he said.

Morgana nodded. “The one and only.”

Arthur clenched his fists. “Greedy son of a bitch.” He gestured for the barman, but he seemed to be too busy gawking at the cleavage of some of the girls that had just approached the counter.

“But he sure is a smart one too. He never passes up a chance to kiss some asses. All the more when it's Sarum's ass we're talking about.” Morgana shuddered. “Christ, I hate them both. In fact, you owe me one for letting me face that ordeal on my own.”

“Didn't Leon go with you?” Arthur wondered.

“Of course he went,” Morgana said with an eye-roll. “ _He_ wouldn't abandon me, unlike some individuals.”

“Uther didn't go either?”

“He and _Catrina_ had other plans,” she sneered. “Honestly I'm clearly well served of brother and father.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and took his phone off his pocket, checking a text he had just got from Merlin.

' _Almost there!_ ' it said.

“Morgana, would you mind turning around?” Arthur changed the topic, putting his phone away again. “Maybe bend over on the counter, just a little bit?”

“What?” Morgana sounded scandalized. “You want to make use my boobs? How dare you?”

“As if you aren't used to it, by now,” Arthur scoffed and Morgana smirked in response, spinning around towards the counter. The barman showed up nearly instantly to take their orders. “One martini, one double whiskey and seven beers.”

“Hey, there,” Arthur turned around at hearing Mordred's voice and saw him walking towards them.

“Mordred!” Morgana greeted him friendly. “I haven't seen you in a long time!” She turned serious then, looking over Mordred's shoulder. “Have you come by yourself?”

“Yes,” Mordred averted her eyes, inexpressive. “Do you need help carrying the drinks?” he pointed to the bottles the barman was lining up on the counter top.

“Sure, thanks.” Arthur shook Mordred's hand before turning around to face the barman. “One more, please.”

“Eight beers?” Morgana asked, looking back at their table again. “Oh, I see,” she said and Arthur followed her gaze to watch Merlin crossing the pub towards the others. “Very thoughtful of you, little brother,” she said, arching an eyebrow.

Arthur ignored her, payed for the drinks and the three of them divided the bottles between themselves, heading back to their table.

“Merlin!” Morgana cried out, kissing the newcomer's cheek and handing him a beer before Arthur had the chance to. “It's so good to see you!”

Arthur's jaw tensed up as he gritted his teeth.

“It's good to see you too!” Merlin said, looking from Arthur to Mordred over her shoulder. “Hey, Mordred!”

“Merlin,” Mordred nodded his acknowledgment of him before stepping away.

“What's with him?” Merlin asked and Arthur frowned, observing while Mordred circled around the table to seat by Elyan's side.

Normally, Mordred wasn't much given to smiling, but he seemed exceptionally grim that night.

“Poor boy,” Morgana said. “He's going through a rough patch,” she turned back at Merlin, smiling and holding his hand. “Well, I want you to sit near me. Come on.”

Arthur gulped at his whiskey as he made his way to the table, passing around the beer bottles and sitting between Leon and Gwaine. When Gwaine moved to say anything, probably that he was right about Merlin coming, Arthur gripped his forearm. Hard. “You try to be a smartass and the next thing I'll squeeze's going to be your balls.”

“Wow, wow, wow!” Gwaine's eyes widened in shock. “My boyfriend's right here, if you haven't noticed yet. He's not gonna like to hear you want to grab my balls.”

“Boyfriend?” Arthur turned to stare at him and Gwaine shrugged in answer. Arthur addressed Percy next. “Really?”

“He didn't object,” Percy raised his own bottle in a toast and Arthur did the same with his glass, still quite astounded.

“It's been nearly a month we're going out, can you believe it?” Gwaine joined his own bottle in the toast, chuckling. “I don't think anyone ever put up with me for this long.”

“You certainly don't make it easy for me,” Percy stated.

“Oh, don't waist your time trying to fool me,” Gwaine nudged him with his shoulder. “I know you love a challenge.”

Percy simply tilted his head with a crooked smile and Arthur shook his head, looking up at hearing Merlin's laugh from the other side of the table. He and Morgana was chatting cheerily, which made Arthur's mood become sour again.

“So...” Leon said, keeping his tone low so that only Arthur could hear him. “Poetry, huh?”

“Oh, shut it,” Arthur sipped at his whiskey again, avoiding his friend's assessing glance.

“Gwen found it really surprising that you came back from lunch so... laid-back,” Leon continued, sounding amused. “If only I knew before, I'd have bought you some poetry books for you to loosen up a bit.”

“Very funny,” Arthur sneered, then frowned, searching for his friend's face. “Leon, I–”

“Don't worry, I won't say a word,” Leon cut him off readily, patting Arthur in the back and winking. “Just be careful. It could have been your father catching you in the parking lot like that. And something tells me he wouldn't be pleased with it.”

“I know,” Arthur nodded, thankful. Leon knew him too well.

“And _someone_ 's getting suspicious,” Leon added, discreetly jerking his head towards Morgana.

“Shit. How?” Arthur asked, trying to think of when he could have let down his guard to his sister. They hardly met in the building these days. Except at the meetings... “Fuck.”

His phone. Morgana had seen him texting at Uther's and later on the meeting with the Financial guys. She could very well had caught one of his stares at Merlin.

“She didn't straightforward ask me, but she's been probing about you,” Leon continued. “About Merlin too.”

“Thank you for the heads-up,” Arthur said. “And for keeping you mouth shut.”

Leon tapped Arthur's back some more before standing up, excusing himself to go to the loo. 

Morgana's eyes met Arthur's for a moment before she turned back to Merlin. “So, Merlin,” she said, not caring to keep her voice down and Arthur looked away, although keeping alert of her words. “I never see you with anybody. Do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend, perhaps?”

“Oh...” Arthur hear Merlin's exclamation and gripped his glass tighter. “Um...” by the corner of his eye, Arthur saw when he scratched his nape.

“That's alright, you don't have to answer,” Morgana sounded amused. “I bet it's a boyfriend, though.”

“Oh, no, no...” Merlin said in a hurry and Arthur frowned, resisting the urge to question him with a look. “I mean...Well–”

“You mean it's not a man?” Morgana prodded. “Or you're not serious?”

“We never really... discussed it,” Merlin elaborated. “We're just going out. Seeing if it's gonna work out, you know...”

Those words were upsetting... and a bit hurtful too, if Arthur was honest with himself. Merlin had made their relationship sound so casual, so superficial! Alright, maybe they really didn't have cleared it out, but Arthur honestly though Merlin considered their relationship to be something more serious than that.

“It's a man, then,” Morgana insisted, seeming pleased with herself. “I knew it! Gwaine said once that my _gaydar_ 's more accurate than his, you know. When Gwen hears about this... Oh, I mean, unless you don't want anyone else to know, of course.”

“I don't really mind,” Merlin said. “Truly. I don't make a point at hiding it.”

“And you have no reason to, sweetheart,” Morgana endorsed. “There's nothing to be ashamed about it.”

“Thanks,” Merlin sounded relieved and Arthur breathed out, only then noticing he had held his breath until that moment. He knew Morgana to be very open-minded about that and even suspected she had had her fair share of experiences with Morgause back during college, but hearing that coming from her mouth somehow made Arthur feel lighter.

Her next words, though, caused him to tense all over again.

“It's a shame my brother isn't gay, or I'd personally make sure you were my brother-in-law!”

“ _What_?” Arthur heard the panic in Merlin's voice and cursed inwardly, trying to think of a way of bringing Merlin far away from Morgana without looking suspicious.

“Well, he's not that bad as a bloke,” Morgana sounded patronizing. “I know he tries really hard to act like a troll, but deep down he's a hopeless romantic.”

“But... Even if he were gay... he's my supervisor, right?” Merlin said tentatively.

“Not for long,” Morgana rebutted.

“And he's much older than me...” Merlin pressed on as if he hadn't listened to what Morgana had said. “What would he want with a brat like me?”

“You're no brat! Not at all!” Morgana sounded indignant. “You're more mature than most people I know. And you're sweet! You're really adorable. Honestly, I can't see anyone _not_ liking you. Actually, if I were your... friend, I'd make sure of putting a 'private property' sign on you, just to make sure. After all, you're the kind of person who attracts others attention without breaking a sweat!”

“Oh, no, not really,” Merlin laughed a bit nervously. “Mostly, people doesn't even notice me. And I much rather it like that.”

“Nonsense,” Morgana insisted. “Just look at you! You're beautiful, smart, lovely, kind... and this shy smile of yours is definitely charming. Oh, Christ, I'm not making you blush, am I?”

“You alright, Princess?” Arthur looked down on Gwaine's hand resting over his wrist. “You'll end up breaking the glass, if you keep squeezing it like that!”

Arthur shook Gwaine's hand away and downed his glass' content in a go. He got to his feet right when Leon was walking back at their table. “I'll grab another dose. Anyone else?”

Most of the others nodded, except for Mordred, who didn't seem to have even heard Arthur's question in the first place, staring at his own bottle as if he could see right through it. Arthur asked Leon to accompany him to the bar to help him carry the drinks.

“Do you know what's happened with Mordred?” Arthur asked Leon while they waited at the counter, in an attempt to divert himself from Morgana's words.

“Oh, it seems he and Kara had a fight for some reason,” Leon clarified.

“Oh, that's awful,” Arthur frowned. “They've been together for so long.”

Arthur recalled Mordred saying that they've known each other since they were kids and have dated since second grade.

“Yeah,” Leon agreed sadly. “Maybe they'll work it out soon?”

Arthur ordered some more beers and two doses of whiskey. He left one bottle in front of Merlin, avoiding Morgana's look as he did so, and walked around the table, sitting beside Mordred. “Here,” he put one of the whiskey glasses in front of him. “I figured you were in need of something stronger.”

“Thanks.” Mordred forced the corner of his lips up and bottomed up his whiskey.

“Well, I didn't think you were needing it _that much_ , actually,” Arthur marveled. “You can have mine too, if you want.”

This time, Mordred's smile had a little more intent. “There's no need to, thanks,” he assured. He sighed, then. “I shouldn't have come. I'm ruining your evening.”

“Not at all,” Arthur insisted. “How could I have found an excuse to get away from Gwaine, otherwise?” he sipped at his whiskey. “So, how are things at your division? I heard the new system is finally running!”

“Oh, sure. After more than a month's delay, but it is,” he nodded, looking relieved on how the conversation was heading towards a safe subject as work.

“I suppose Cenred's happier now,” Arthur said, even though he knew it not to be true. Uther wasn't pleased with Cenred's delay and had made it very clear at the last few meetings. Arthur had to contain his own satisfaction from showing at seeing him fuming before the president's reprimand.

“I wish,” Mordred sounded somewhat somber. “He doesn't like the system at all. He said he hoped it'd be more functional. And, to be honest, things are a bit chaotic over there.” He sighed. “God, I miss Gaius. He was a bit wary about technology, always keeping his files in hand in case the computers let him down the moment he needed it the most.”

“I miss him too,” Arthur stated. “I mean, except at auditing time. Christ, I still have nightmares with him questioning me with that eyebrow of doom.”

Mordred laughed at that and Arthur smiled, pleased with himself. He finished his drink and, when he lowered the empty glass, he met Merlin's sharp gaze. He couldn't identify the exact emotion in his eyes, but he looked eerily serious.

“Is it true Merlin's Gaius' nephew?” Arthur heard Mordred question and looked away from Merlin.

“What? Oh, no. Gaius is Merlin's godfather, not his uncle.”

“Is that why you kept him?” Mordred asked.

Arthur frowned at his choice of words. “Kept him?” he asked, uncertain.

“I don't remember you ever having an intern before,” Mordred elaborated and Arthur breathed out, relieved. “I figured you only had accepted him because of Gaius.”

“No, not really,” Arthur said. “I didn't know it at the time. Not even Morgana, actually. It was just a happy coincidence.” He covered his mouth after saying it, as if he was about to tell him a secret. “Don't let Merlin hear I said that or it'll get to his head.”

“Sure,” Mordred smiled. “He's a good kid. You seem to get along well.” He sighed again. “Sometimes I regret not having accepted when you offered to take me to CRM. Cenred can be very... hard to cope with.”

“The offer still stands, you know,” Arthur said, tapping him on the back. “I can pull some strings, if you want me to.”

Mordred seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding. “Thank you, Arthur. I really appreciate the offer. But I don't give up on things that easily. I really like what I do, but it's good to know I have an option, in case things get out of hand. Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Arthur said honestly. He looked around. “Well, I think I'll grab a beer now. Do you want some?”

“Okay. I'll join you,” Mordred stood up.

.M.

“Everything alright, Merlin?

“Huh?” Merlin looked away from Mordred and stared at Morgana's green eyes, finding it filled with worry. “Yeah, it's okay. I was just... thinking.”

“About you special friend?” Morgana offered him a conspiratory smile. “You should bring him, next time. I'd love to meet him.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Merlin answered, averting her eyes and feeling his stomach knot with guilt over lying to her so blatantly like that. “Er... Why didn't Kara come tonight?” he changed the topic. “She always comes, doesn't she?”

“Oh, she's visiting her parents in Norway, or so Mordred told me,” Morgana shrugged. “He had his break scheduled to go with her, but he canceled it last minute. It seems they decided to take some time apart.”

“Oh...” Merlin frowned, torn between sympathy for Mordred and insecurity about Arthur.

Merlin had never thought Mordred and Arthur were close, but now he was starting to wander what else he didn't know about Arthur's past. Merlin couldn't stop playing over in his head the way Arthur had smiled back at Mordred after making him laugh about something he said. They looked so understanding of each other that Merlin couldn't help but recall Will's words about Arthur being lying to him.

Merlin finished his beer, restraining the urge to turn around at look back at Arthur and Mordred, who had walked to the bar to grab more drinks, but he feared what he could see. He was annoyed with himself for feeling jealous like that, but he was also annoyed with Arthur and with all that situation. How long would they have to lie to everyone about them? If it wasn't for that damned secret, Arthur would probably be making  _Merlin_ laugh, not Mordred. Or, at least, Merlin hoped so.

“I'll be right back,” Merlin said to Morgana, standing up and walking towards the loo, avoiding looking at the bar.

The pub was exceptionally crowded that evening and the fact that they had chosen a table over the far end didn't help either.

“Merlin?”

Merlin heard someone call his name while relieving himself and turned to the boy at the urinal by his side. “Carter!” he said, surprised at finding one of his college colleagues. “What're you doing here? I mean, not in the urinal, obviously...” he zipped up and flushed.

“Me and the guys are going to hit the night,” Carter answered amiably, joining him at the sink to wash his hands. “Kane, Emma and Molly are here too. Why? Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes,” Merlin admitted. “The guys from the office I work in are regulars, though.”

“Hey, you should come with us!” said Carter, while drying his hands. “We're going to Fabric. Kane knows the DJ that's going to play there tonight and got us some free tickets. Come on, come say hello to the guys!” Carter opened the door and waited for Merlin to come out of the loo.

Merlin hesitated for a moment, but ended up shrugging and following him through the crowd to the opposite end of the pub, where his other colleagues greeted him with loud cheers. Merlin didn't really get why they seemed so happy to see him, since they hardly exchanged a few words during classes, but assumed they were already a bit high when they insisted for him to join them on the drinks.

After answering a text from Arthur assuring he hadn't fled, Merlin accepted one tequila after Emma's persistence.

“You should definitely come with us, Merlin!” Emma insisted. “It's going to be so much fun, isn't it Kane?”

“Oh, I'm sorry, I really can't, I–”

“Oh, come on, Merlin!” Kane cut him off. “You never go out with us!” he complained, throwing an arm around Merlin's shoulder.

“Maybe some other day–” Merlin started to deny again, but was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

“Merlin?”

Merlin turned around, his smile fading out at meeting Arthur's grave expression. “Arthur!” he disentangled himself from Kane's arm when Arthur's eyes fell on the boy's hand over his shoulder.

“Ooh! Who _is_ this?” Molly said, gawking at Arthur from head to toe.

“Aren't you gonna introduce us to your friend, Merlin?” Emma agreed, while the two boys stared at Arthur warily.

“Er... Guys, this is Arthur, my bo–”

“Boyfriend,” Arthur finished, circling Merlin's waist with one hand and extending the other to shake Emma's hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Emma squealed excitedly before accepting the handshake. “I'm Emma, and it's my pleasure,” she said and turned to Merlin while Arthur shook hands with the others. “Merlin! You never told us you had a boyfriend! Let alone that he was hot as fuck like that!”

Merlin was too gobsmacked to even answer, looking over his shoulder to make sure the guys from Pendragon couldn't see them, but they were completely out of sight.

“We were just inviting Merlin to join us to the club,” Molly said to Arthur. “You should come as well.”

“I'm sorry, we already have plans,” Arthur said politely, turning to face Merlin .”Right, baby?”

“Y-Yeah,” Merlin looked away, suddenly breathless. “Maybe some other day.”

Molly and Emma whined, but the boys looked relieved when Merlin said goodbye to them, allowing Arthur to guide him to the exit.

“Boyfriend?” Merlin asked, stopping to face him when they reached the sidewalk.

“Yes. Boyfriend.” Arthur frowned, assessing him closely. “Unless you don't want me to be.”

“I do!” Merlin said quickly, then swallowed dry, his heart hammering in his chest. “I do,” he said again and only then Arthur's face relaxed.

Arthur hooked his fingers in his belt loops and kissed him, but backed off to stare at him almost immediately, his eyes narrowed. “What did you drink?”

“One tequila,” Merlin confessed, biting his lower lip, thinking if he should pull Arthur in for another kiss.

Arthur let go of him before he could do it, though, checking his watch with a unfriendly expression on his face. “I'll wait here while you say goodbye to the guys,” Arthur said. “Morgana's pretty capable of calling the police if you disappear without warning.”

“Right...” Merlin took a deep breath and walked back inside to say he was leaving, refusing the drink offers and ignoring Gwaine's wry smile – he was behaving himself exceptionally this evening, keeping one arm looped around Percy and whispering things into his ear.

When he got outside once again, Arthur was standing by a cab. He opened the car door when Merlin walked to him.

“Did you say something to Gwaine?” Merlin asked when Arthur joined him in the backseat.

Arthur arched an eyebrow. “No. Why?”

Merlin shrugged. “He was so well-behaved today.”

“I guess we should thank Percy for that. As it happens, they're serious now.”

Merlin's jaw dropped and he was about to ask questions when the taxi driver cleared his throat, calling their attention. Arthur told him the address.

“So...” Arthur said when the car started moving, keeping some distance between them. “Who are they?”

“Who?” Merlin frowned, confused. Arthur's face became blank and Merlin suddenly understood what he was talking about. “Oh! Right,” he shrugged. “They're my classmates.”

“I don't remember you ever mentioning them before. Did you know they'd be here?”

“No, I didn't. And I definitely didn't mention any of them before. I barely know them, to be honest.”

“It certainly doesn't look like it,” Arthur said in that distant tone he used when he was bothered with something.

Merlin sighed. “Look, they were probably drunk. I could swear they didn't even know my name until today!”

Arthur huffed incredulously.

Merlin rubbed at his face, experiencing a mix of confusion, irritation and anxiety. How did Arthur always managed to turn the tables like that? If someone had the right to be angry, this someone was Merlin! After all, Arthur had spent most of the evening flirting with Mordred!

“What were you going to say to them?” Arthur broke the silence a few minutes later and Merlin stared at him, unsure. “When you were introducing me. You sad: this is Arthur, my...?”

“Boss,” Merlin filled in the blank. “I was gonna say 'my boss'. I mean, I though that we had agreed on keeping it secret–”

“From the Pendragon guys,” Arthur cut him off, sounding annoyed. “Because of your contract. But if you're having second thoughts, we can go back there and clear things out with your friends; tell them I'm nothing but you fucking _boss._ ”

“I'm not having second thoughts!” Merlin said as soon as he recovered from the shock.

“What's your problem, then?” Arthur's voice sounded pretty loud inside the quiet taxi.

“I don't know!” Merlin snapped back. “I don't know what the fuck is my problem, alright? I'm just trying to figure out what just happened! Why did you say it now? Is it because of what your sister said back at the pub? To put a 'private property' sign on me? Because you didn't have to do that, you know? And don't look at me like that; I _want_ to be your boyfriend, but only if that's what you really want, not just because of what Morgana said!”

“Of course that's what I want!” Arthur sounded as outraged as Merlin felt. “I wouldn't have said that if I didn't want it!”

“Why just now, then?”

“Because I thought...” Arthur trailed off, cursing and looking outside the car window. He pulled his wallet out of his trouser's pocket at realizing they had reached his building. “This conversation's not over, Merlin,” he stated warningly.

The mood was pretty tense between them when they went up to Arthur's apartment. As soon as they got inside, Arthur threw the keys over the balcony and went to his office, walking back with an envelope in hand.

“I was panning on talking about it tomorrow, but here it is,” he opened the envelope and tossed the papers on the dinner table.

Merlin stepped closer to read the seal from the laboratory before grabbing it. “What's all this?” Merlin flipped through the sheets, puzzled. They all had Arthur's name on the header and a bunch of numbers and pointers, but he was too apprehensive to draw any conclusions about what it had to do with their previous discussion.

“These are my blood tests.” Arthur sat by the table and gestured for Merlin to do the same. He was still frowning, but he looked to be struggling to keep his voice even. “I wanted to suggest that we dispensed with the condoms.”

“Oh...” Merlin said, his eyes nearly popping out before he looked down on Arthur's test results again, his eyes getting caught on the words 'NEGATIVE SAMPLE' and 'NON-REACTIVE' in each of the tests while his mind worked on the meaning of all that.

Arthur wouldn't be proposing that in case he considered their relationship to be casual or temporary. The sample had been collected about a week ago, which meant he was panning that for some time, now. Merlin swallowed dry.

“I believe it can be less painful for you if we did without it,” Arthur continued in his business tone, avoiding to look him in the eye. “But I wanted you to sleep on it. I don't want you to take any hasty decisions.”

“Arthur, this is...” Merlin started to say, but didn't know how to complete his thought without sounding ridiculous to his own ears. He cleared his throat, gathering the papers and putting them back in the envelope. “Do you want me to get tested too?”

“You?” Arthur squinted at him immediately, straightening up in his chair. “Why? Have you had any blood transfusion?”

Merlin frowned. “No, I–”

“Have you injected any drugs?”

“No!”

“Then why would you need to be testes? You said it yourself that you were a virgin!” his eyes widened at a sudden. “Merlin, have you been seeing other people?”

“No! God, no!” Merlin shouted a bit desperately. “Jesus Chris, Arthur, of course I haven't been with anyone else! You were the fist and the only one, I swear!”

“You didn't even have oral before?” Arthur prodded some more and Merlin shook his head.

“No. Nothing. Absolutely nothing, believe me. I kissed a boy before... and a girl before him, in case it matters, but that's it. I was sixteen at the time,” he added just to make it crystal clear and only then did Arthur relax again, taking a deep breath.

“There's no need for you to be tested, then, is there?” Arthur sounded sarcastic. “There's a reason it's called Sexually Transmitted Diseases, you know?”

“Okay,” Merlin said, still quite nervous. “I agree, by the way. I don't mind not using condoms, if you don't either.”

“Right,” Arthur turned back to professional mode. “Do you believe me now when I'm telling you I want you to be my boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Merlin assured, nodding enthusiastically.

“Good. I'm glad we cleared this out,” Arthur stated. “Can we fuck now?”

“God, yes,” Merlin said and got up from his seat, leaning over the table to meet Arthur's lips.

.M.

Even after two long-lasting relationships, Arthur could count on his hand the times he had had unprotected sex. The first and only time Uther had talked to Arthur about sex, when he was eleven, had showed up quite traumatic for him. Arthur couldn't remember much about that talk, as embarrassed that he was at the time, but one thing he never forgot.

“ _You should never, under any circumstances, not use protection, Arthur_ ,” Uther had said, looking at him straight in the eyes and shaking a foiled condom in front of him threateningly. “ _Even if the girl swears on her mother's life that she's on birth control. And you should never accept using one of her condoms. Unless, of course, you're absolutely sure you want to have a baby with her, which I hope won't happen so soon._ ”

Arthur had made a compromise with his father and himself about that and it wasn't if not a long time ago that he started to wonder of Uther wasn't somehow referring to Morgana's mother at the time. He never broached the subject with his son, but Arthur figured she had blackmailed him to fall off the radar and suspected that she still called him periodically to ask for more money to stay out of their lives.

Since then, Arthur had kept his word, except for one or other slip-up. Even when he used  a condom, he made sure of flushing it down the toiled, fearing that someone could somehow use his sperm. He was so terrified when he happened to have sex unprotected he couldn't even enjoy it, careful  _not to come inside_ . And he nearly had a stroke every time Mithian's period was late.

With Merlin, though, Arthur had no worries of the likes. He had planned to propose it the next morning, though, so as not to pressure him and assure that he could think about it carefully, making a conscious decision. Merlin's reaction when Arthur had introduced himself as his boyfriend had, however, made him decide to anticipate the talk.

Why did Merlin manage to ruin his every plan?

Sitting at the edge of his bed now, with Merlin sitting on his lap, kissing him as if his life depended on it, Arthur couldn't stop remembering Merlin at the pub, laughing with his friend with one of the boy's arm looped around his neck. That scene was a living proof of what Arthur already knew: that Merlin was completely blind when it came to how people looked at him. Arthur couldn't understand how Merlin could still think that no one noticed him. The mere thought of Merlin at the college, surrounded by people his age inviting him to go out, buying him drinks, dragging him to clubs, asking him to dance...

Arthur snarled in between bites to Merlin's lips, restraining himself from tearing his clothes off and tossing him to the bed. No matter how much he wished to do just that, he had made Merlin a promise and he planned to keep his word, however apprehensive he was about it.

“So,” Arthur said, touching his forehead to Merlin's, holding him by the end of his spine and feeling Merlin's erection against his own, separated by too many layers of clothes. “How's it going to be?”

“What?” Merlin asked, panting. His hands were buried in Arthur's hair, pulling and scratching the shorter strings of hair on his nape.

“I told you I'd do whatever you'd like, didn't I?” Arthur reminded him, pecking Merlin's lips and smiling when the boy moved forward, reluctant to let him back off. “What do you want to do?” Arthur made a line of kisses down Merlin's neck.

“I want to...” Merlin mumbled, tilting his head back to make it easier for him. “I want to...”

“You want to...?” Arthur encouraged, licking Merlin's earlobe next.

“I want to ride you,” Merlin said and Arthur stopped for an instant while his brain worked around those words.

“Well,” Arthur said, biting Merlin's neck, “I'm sure we can arrange that.”

“But I want it to be... my way,” Merlin whispered.

Arthur moved back to stare at him. “Your way,” he repeated, smiling when Merlin averted his eyes, biting his lower lip. “And how exactly is your way?”

“Um,” Merlin looked down, playing with Arthur's tie. “I don't know. You always do everything your way. I want to do it mine, this time. And I don't want you to interfere.”

Arthur squinted at him. “How so?” he held Merlin's chin up so as to make him look at him as soon as he realized his hesitancy. “Merlin? What do you mean by that? You don't like it my way?”

“I do!” Merlin nearly shrieked. “Of course I do!”

Arthur assessed him for a couple of beats before nodding. “Go on.”

Merlin opened his mouth and closed it a few times, his nails digging in Arthur's scalp close to painfully. “You said you're not into cuffs,” Merlin said, at last, “But you never mentioned anything about a scarf or a tie or–”

“ _What_?” Arthur jerked his body backwards this time, incredulous. “This is no Fifty Shades, Merlin.”

“I know, I just want to make sure you wont interfere,” Merlin amended quickly. “I promise I don't want to do anything out of ordinary. I just want to be in charge, this time. And you can ask me to untie you, if it gets too uncomfortable.”

“You want to tie me to the bed?” Arthur said, baffled.

Merlin groaned, running his hands through his hair before putting them on his own waist, looking down on Arthur's lap. “Alright, forget it,” he pulled a face. “It was a stupid idea, anyway.”

Maybe it was because of Merlin's regretful face or made it was the mental image his words had created in his mind, but the fact was that Arthur found himself grabbing Merlin's shoulders and shaking him. “Let's do it your way,” he said, his heart beating fast, sounding more resolute that he actually felt.

Merlin's eyes nearly popped out. “What?”

“I said I'd do whatever you wanted, didn't I?” Arthur reasoned, more at himself than at Merlin. It was nothing too extraordinary, really. He had never been tied to a bed before, but it sure wasn't too scaring. It was just Merlin, after all.

Arthur would do anything for Merlin.

“B-But–”

“No 'but's,” Arthur shook him again before taking off the tie he still kept around the neck. “Here.”

Elena had said once that Arthur was a control freak. Arthur had felt truly offended at the time, but he had never forgotten those words, let alone the accusatory tone Elena had used on him. He liked to be in control, but he didn't consider himself any maniac because of that. The perspective of handing over the reins to somebody else frightened him, but the fact that this person was Merlin made Arthur feel a touch of anticipation and even eagerness, mixed with the ever present apprehension.

“Come on, take it,” Arthur said when Merlin continued staring at the tie with something close to dismay.

“Arthur, you don't have to–” Merlin started to object, but Arthur silenced him with a kiss.

“I know I don't have to,” Arthur said, holding Merlin's hand palm up and putting the tie on it.

Merlin stared at him agape with wonderment.

Holding his gaze, Arthur reached for the top button of his shirt, but stopped himself before opening it. “Should I undress myself?” he asked.

Merlin blinked a few times. “No,” he shook his head slowly, wrapping the tie in one hand. “Let me do it for you.”

Arthur laid down his arms and allowed Merlin to take over.

Merlin kissed him fleetingly before unbuttoning Arthur's shirt all the way, stroking his abs with the pad of his fingers. “Crawl up and lay down on your back,” Merlin instructed, getting off his lap.

Arthur did as he was told, stopping only for Merlin to take off his shoes before laying down, with the shirt hanging open. Merlin climbed the bed and straddled his chest, holding his wrists and lifting them towards the bedpost.

Breathing shallowly, Arthur stared at Merlin's focused face while he tied him to the wood, testing the knots with a few strong pulls.

“Too tight?” Merlin asked, looking down on Arthur.

Arthur got lost in his eyes for a moment, wishing he could touch his face and bring him down for a kiss until the lines on his forehead smoothed out, but ended up shaking his head slowly. “No.”

“Tell me if it hurts,” Merlin said and Arthur smiled briefly, recognizing the worry showing on his voice and recalling all the times he had said those same words to Merlin.

Merlin kissed him slow and sensuously and Arthur forced himself to relax while Merlin run his hands across his chest and sides, sliding them under the shirt sleeves over his armpits, making him shiver all over, mumbling his approval into Merlin's mouth.

Merlin broke off the kiss to take off his own T-shirt, resuming the kiss next as his hands explored and teased. “Alright?” Merlin asked, running his thumbs across Arthur's nipples until they became hard nubs.

“It's a bit tight,” Arthur said and Merlin's eyes widened, “inside my pants,” he completed and smiled when Merlin breathed out. “Yours looks pretty uncomfortable too. Maybe you should take them off.”

“You thing so?” Merlin scoffed and then smiled naughtily. “We're a bit eager, aren't we?”

Arthur squinted as Merlin moved his lips down his chin and neck. “Is it just me or this is some kind of payback?”

“Payback?” Merlin acted innocent, moving his bottom up in the air and sliding his hand through the front of Arthur's trouser drawing the outline of his cock over the fabric with his fingertip. “Payback for what?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” it was Arthur's turn to fake innocence, bucking his hips up at Merlin's hand, but the boy backed off quickly.

Arthur cursed his frustration, but then hummed in delight when Merlin sucked his nipple, rounding it with his tongue and blowing over the sensitive skin. Arthur wished he could card his finders through Merlin's hair, but had to content himself with closing his eyes and enjoying while Merlin did it all over again with the other nipple.

Arthur prodded his head to watch Merlin sitting on his own thighs to unbuckle Arthur's belt and unzip his trousers carefully, licking his own lips before mouthing his shaft over the cotton briefs.

“I didn't know you to be so cruel, Merlin.”

Merlin huffed at that. “If I'm cruel, you're a professional torturer,” he said, standing up to pull off Arthur's trousers and pants. “Making me beg on our first time.”

Arthur lifted his hips up to help him, laughing. As soon as his cock was freed of the clothes, it hit his abs noisily. Arthur tried to relax while Merlin took off his socks, but he seemed to be taking his time on the task, touching the soles of his feet so lightly it made Arthur tense all over. “Merlin?” he said in a warning tone, trying to pull his feet away from Merlin's ministrations, his own fists forcing it's bindings reflexively.

“What? You're gonna tell me you're ticklish, now?”

“Do I look like a twelve year old?” Arthur mocked. “Of course I'm not ticklish... _Mer_ lin!” he raised his head again to stare at him threateningly when he felt the drag of stubble against the sensible skin of the underside of his feet.

“Okay, okay, I'll stop,” Merlin pressed his lips together to hold back a smirk and climbed up the bed again, running his hands up Arthur's legs until he reached his thighs. He moved down as if to lick his cock, but swerved at the last second, his tongue sliding over the hollow of Arthur's groin, instead.

“Fuck,” Arthur swore under his breath and felt Merlin's hot puff when he laughed.

“It seems like you're quite impatient,” Merlin teased, sliding his hand up the inner side of his crotch until he cupped his testicles, massaging them.

“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur said between gritted teeth.

“Or?” Merlin mocked, lapping at the juncture of thigh with groin, the cold tip of his nose touching his skin now and again.

“Or I'll make you shut it. Even if I have to rip out this headboard to do so.”

“Ooh! Now I'm scared,” Merlin scoffed, getting up.

Arthur frowned, watching as he circled the bed and opened the nightstand drawer at Arthur's side and grabbed the bottle of lube. Merlin finished to undress then and crawled across the bed, keeping his eyes locked on Arthur's cock like a cat watching it's prey.

Arthur grunted, throwing his head back against the mattress, his toes curling in pleasure when Merlin licked him from root to glans, circling his tongue around the head and wrapping his lips around it, sucking.

“Yes, Merlin,” Arthur encouraged, closing his eyes and appreciating the feeling of his wet, hot mouth surrounding him so deliciously.

When he opened his eyes again, Merlin had one hand around his back, supporting his own weight with the other, never stopping blowing him. It took Arthur a few seconds to realize what he was doing, but he fought his restrains as soon as he got it. “I should be the one doing it, Merlin,” Arthur claimed.

Merlin abandoned his cock for a moment to look back at him.

“Don't worry. I've got this,” Merlin smiled, reaching for the lube again to spread it over Arthur's shaft.

“Come here,” Arthur pretty much demanded and felt his chest flood with satisfaction when Merlin complied immediately, kissing him while still working himself open.

Panting, Merlin broke off the kiss and held Arthur's cock in place firmly, positioning himself.

“Are you sure it's enough?” Arthur asked, frowning.

“Absolutely,” Merlin nodded, but Arthur had his doubts.

“Put some more lube on me,” Arthur said and Merlin moved to object, but rolled his eyes at him.

“Alright,” Merlin smeared Arthur's cock some more, his hand sliding easily up and down. He positioned himself again, then lowered down slowly.

Arthur held his breath as his penis was enveloped by the tight heat of Merlin's ass inch by inch. The feeling seemed to be enhanced by the lack of the condom. When his glans met the resistance of Merlin's inner ring, Merlin lifted his hips up again and Arthur let go of his breath, shaking his head.

“Untie me,” Arthur said. “Le me prepare you properly–”

“No,” Merlin refused readily. “There's no need to.”

“Merlin–” Arthur started again, but Merlin cut him off effectively with a plain: “Shut up, Arthur.”

Merlin held him in place again, taking a deep breath. Arthur's jaw tensed and his nostrils flared in contradiction, but the knot of the tie remained firm on his wrists when he pulled at it again. This time, when Merlin lowered himself back down, he was more relaxed and Arthur's glans slid past the resistance with relative ease. Arthur kept watchful of Merlin's face, but he had his eyes closed and his lips parted; his breathing uneven; his penis was heavy and flushed dark with blood. Merlin didn't show any sign of pain, but Arthur knew it didn't really mean anything.

When Merlin's hips met Arthur's groin, Merlin let his head fall back, leaning heavily against the mattress. Arthur could feel the steady pulse around around his own cock, unsure if it was his own or Merlin's heartbeat. Arthur cursed, wishing he could touch him, grab him by the waist, bring him in for a kiss or sit up to meet him halfway.

“Are you alright?” Arthur asked.

Merlin opened his eyes, nodding. “Couldn't be better,” Merlin licked his own lips and experimented on moving, uttering a long moan at the same time Arthur gasped. “This is perfection.”

Merlin moved up and down again and again, each time going further up, throwing his head back and exposing his throat, showing his prominent Adam's apple.

“Ah, Arthur,” Merlin gasped, moving with more intent, increasing the pace. “So good... So fucking _good_.”

Arthur agreed with a grunt. It was freeing to enjoy the feeling of skin on skin with nothing but a thin layer of gel between them, which only turned it all the more pleasant. Slightly impatient, Arthur bent his knees up, pushing Merlin forward with his own thighs and Merlin had to plant his palms on Arthur's pecs to steady himself, taken by surprise by his move.

“Hey, stop cheating,” Merlin scolded. “Will I have to tie up your legs too?”

Arthur mumbled an impolite answer while obediently stretching his legs back on the mattress, but Merlin ignored him, resuming his ride. He let go small moans at each movement, supporting himself on Arthur's chest as he leaned this way and that, testing, searching, moving his hips now and again. He swore loudly when he found the right angle, stopping for a moment just to catch his breath, the crease on his forehead now just another proof of the pleasure he was experiencing.

Arthur allowed a half-smile to take over his features when Merlin resumed moving, crying out every time Arthur's penis touched his prostate. The way Merlin smiled; the way he bit his lower lip trying to contain a louder moan; it all made Arthur give himself over to the feelings. Merlin gave himself a few tugs and then squeezed his own penis hard, whimpering. He did it all over again, then.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Merlin said and Arthur grunted in his turn.

Giving up on trying to free himself, Arthur gripped the headboard tight to steady up and planted his feet on the mattress, moving his hips up towards Merlin's, incapable of holding back anymore.

Merlin swore and kept still, allowing Arthur to drive into him to the hilt, his skin shining with sweat. “Arthur...” Merlin gasped, his hand hovering inches from his cock, as if he earned and feared touching it in equal measures. “I can't anymore... I need to come. Tell me you're close, please...”

“Fuck, Merlin,” Arthur slumped back on the mattress, thoroughly annoyed by his limited movements. “Untie me. Now!” he shook the headboard to emphasize his demand and Merlin lifted himself up with a moan, leaning over Arthur to untie him with shaking hands, his leaking cock nearly touching Arthur's face as he did it.

As soon as Merlin loosened the knot, Arthur got rid of the tie and stood up on his knees, holding Merlin by the waist. He tossed him into the bed, falling over him and kissing him ferociously. 

Merlin moaned, looping his legs around his hips and rutting against him. “Please, Arthur... Please...” he begged.

“Yes, Merlin, yes,” Arthur snarled, holding Merlin's hip in place and guiding himself back inside him, fucking him voluptuously, his hips moving as if by their own free will. “Do you want me to come?” Arthur asked, wrapping his fingers around Merlin's cock and jerking it firmly, making him whimper. “Do you want me to fill you up with my cum?”

“A-Arthur!” Merlin cried out and came, his muscles gripping his cock almost painfully, but Arthur was past the point of no return and kept moving until he came.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted out, stopping for a moment as he pulsed, each pulse causing a wave of pure bliss to take over his body. He bucked into Merlin a couple of times more until he finally relaxed, drained and sated.

He pulled off Merlin quickly then, feeling the chilled air wrapping over his sensitive cock like a caress, soothing his nerve endings.

Without Arthur to hold him in place, Merlin slumped on the mattress, groaning as he stretched his legs. “My legs... My knees...” he whined.

Arthur laughed. “It serves you well. You thought being on change was a piece of cake, didn't you?” he teased.

Merlin pouted. “You make it look so easy...”

Arthur leaned over him to seal his lips with a peck. “What do you say, then?” Arthur questioned. “Is it better without the condom?”

“Definitely,” Merlin nodded, then stroked Arthur's face. “Thank you. For agreeing with my terms.”

“Was it worth?” Arthur whispered, holding Merlin's hand and kissing his wrist.

“Totally,” he smiled and then pulled a face, massaging his thigh. “But I think I'll let you keep the reins for now.”

“Good,” Arthur smirked, bringing his lips closer to Merlin's ear. “Because, next time, you'll be the one tied up.”

Arthur backed off just enough to see the shock on Merlin's face before kissing him.

.Merlin.

“What's all this?” Will asked.

“Hm?” Merlin mumbled, reluctant to open his eyes. He was lying comfortably on Will's bed, headphones on, relaxing to the sound of _Paramore – The Only Exception_.

“Merlin!” Will poked him with his feet.

Merlin sighed, taking one earphone off and prodding himself up on his elbows to stare at him. “What?”

Will turned the computer screen around so that Merlin could see it. “Why are you suddenly so popular on Twitter?”

“What?” Merlin sat up at the edge of the bed to better see it. He had turned off his Twitter notifications and rarely logged on his social media.

“There's this carthertheguy saying the club was _awesome_ ,” Will rolled the screen down before Merlin could read it. “Kanesugar001's agreeing with him, saying you should have _definitely_ gone with them... Emma? Who's this Emma? And why's she sending kisses to you _boyfriend_?”

“Oh,” Merlin scratched at his nape, trying not to smile stupidly. “Er...”

“Hollymolly16's also sending her regards to... _Arthur_!” Will turned around to face him, frowning. “The fuck happened?”

“Um...” Merlin turned the music off and removed the other earphone. “They're my classmates. They were at The Rising Sun last Friday and... Arthur kind of introduced himself as my boyfriend?”

“Ew,” Will curled his upper lip in disgust and Merlin punched him in the arm. “Ouch! That's right, beat the straight guy. If it were me beating you up, I'd be charged for homophobia!”

“Funny, that never stopped you from hitting me,” Merlin said sarcastically. “You should be happy for me! I'm in a serious relationship now!”

“Does you mom knows yet?”

Merlin gave him a middle fingered salute, putting the earphones back on and trying to convince himself that he wasn't bothered by Will's reaction.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning:** light bondage (I mean _very_ light, really).


	19. Part 2 - Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank you guys for the support and patience. Next chapter's nearly finished (I got some help with the translation, yay!), so it shouldn't take long for me to update again.
> 
> Oh, and there's some **warnings** at the end of the chapter.
> 
> See you soon!

** **Chapter 18** **

** **26** ** ** **th** ** ** **week** **

Arthur had just got at the office when Gwaine burst in. “Honey, I'm home!” he singsonged, opening his arms and walking towards Arthur as if intending to hug him. “Have you missed me?”

“Hardly,” Arthur grumbled, shoving his open hand in the middle of Gwaine's face to keep him away when he moved to kiss him on the cheek. “Fuck off, Gwaine!”

“Be a doll and ask Sanders to clear out my desk, will you?” Gwaine went on, unfazed by the rejection, flopping onto the chair in front of Arthur's desk. “She crammed my cabinets with her junk.”

Arthur regarded him, frowning. “The hell are you talking about?”

“My desk,” Gwaine insisted, sounding hurt. “Don't tell me you forgot!”

Arthur sighed, his eyes rolling. “What was there to forget, Gwaine?”

“I'm back!” Gwaine said, getting on his feet again and putting his head outside of the glass door. “Gwaine's back, my dearests! From now on, only joyful tears are allowed!”

Arthur grunted, closing his eyes and pinching his nose bridge while people cheered and laughed annoyingly loud outside. He had completely forgotten about Morgana's notice, the previous week. The fact that they hadn't spoken recently at work didn't help his remembrance either.

“Sit down, Gwaine,” Arthur said in his best commanding tone.

Gwaine complied for once, rubbing his hands together. “Alright, I'm excited to begin already. After two months trying to teach people how to calculate overtime and explaining basic notions of mathematics to my fellow workers, I can't wait to get back to actual  _work_ . Honestly, how can someone ask for advanced payment and don't expect it to be deducted from next month's paycheck?” He scoffed. “So... What's on for the day?”

“Leon must arrive any minute now,” Arthur said, checking on his watch. “He shall let you in on our schedule for the week.”

“Is there any prospecting visits today?” Gwaine eagerly pressed on. “I'm desperate for a ride. Jesus, I missed this!” his face was pure expectation.

Arthur shook his head, unmoved by his enthusiasm. “Today, you're going to take the day off to learn about the ongoing projects,” he said, categorical. “As of tomorrow, you can schedule your own prospecting visits.”

“Oh, come on, Arthur,” Gwaine whined. “You could at least take me with you today.”

“And what gave you the idea I have any visits today?”

Gwaine shrugged. “You only wear this tie when you're heading out for a kill. And that's one of your best shirts, so it must be some big fish.”

Arthur moved to disagree, but gave up. “You're staying here, Gwaine,” he insisted.

“Oh, I see...” Gwaine nodded. “Merlin's coming with you, right?”

“Not that that's any of your business, but–”

“Oh, come on, Princess, have you never heard of that saying: 'One's too few and three's even better'?”

“I'm not quite sure that's how it goes,” Arthur snorted. “And save your breath. You're staying. That's my final decision.”

“You're no fun,” Gwaine slumped on the backrest of his chair. “Well, at least my desk's near Merlin's!”

“For now, you mean,” Arthur made sure to sound threatening.

Gwaine held his hands up. “All right, I get it! I'm not wasting your precious time anymore!” He got to his feet and moved to the exit.

Arthur breathed out, long-suffering. “Gwaine, wait.”

Gwaine raised his eyebrows at him and sighed dramatically before sitting down again. “What's it now?” he asked, faking boredom.

“I've been thinking...” Arthur started, clicking his pen on and off, not sure of how to begin. He decided to get straight to the point and cleared his throat. “Do you know any nightclubs I can go towith Merlin.”

“Oh, wow!” Gwaine said excitedly, moving to the edge of the chair. “I didn't see _this_ coming. Nightclubs, huh? What do you have in mind, exactly?”

“I don't know,” Arthur admitted, rubbing at his face. “I just though I could do something out of theordinary for a change.”

Merlin had spent the Sunday at Arthur's place and, even though he hadn't uttered any complaints, Arthur couldn't stop thinking about Merlin's college friends inviting him out to party with them. Merlin was too young to settle for such dull dates. It wouldn't take much for him to get bored and search for better company, probably someone younger and funnier than Arthur.

“What kind of 'out of ordinary'?” Gwaine wondered.

Arthur puffed. “Gwaine, if I had any idea of what I'm aiming for here, I wouldn't have asked for _your_ suggestion, of all people, now would I?”

“Alright, but there's clubbing and _clubbing,”_ Gwaine outlined. “If you want to go out with him and really enjoy it as a couple, you'll have to opt for a receptive place. Preferably a gay nightclub. The thing is I know most different kinds of gay nightclubs, to be honest. Some of them with pretty interesting shows, some great for dancing, some perfect for some hardcore hooking upand–”

“No hardcore anything,” Arthur said readily, imagining Merlin gawking at other couples fooling around next to them. “Merlin's too innocent for that kind of thing.”

“Sure,” Gwaine sounded sarcastic, but Arthur promptly ignored him.

“Tell me about the shows.”

“Oh, well... There's dancing, singing, staging and so on. Obviously, the artists are cross-dressers, drags, gogo boys, transgender...” Gwaine trailed off. “Oh, there's this terrific artist on stage next week! She does some awesomely impressive stretchy thing wit her legs you'd be _amazed_ –”

“Maybe next time,” Arthur cut him off again, dismissing the option. The very idea of sharing Merlin's attention with whoever was on the stage wasn't appealing at all. “What about the dancing?”

“ _What_ about the dancing?” Gwaine rolled his eyes. “You know, electronic music, flashing lights, bodies moving to the beat... Exactly like any other nightclub. The only difference's that no one cares if you're dancing with a man or woman.”

“No gogo boys?” Arthur asked, just to make sure.

“Well, there's this place–”

“Great,” Arthur clicked his pen on, fishing for a notepad. “Give me the address.”

“Wow, wow, not so fast, pretty boy,” Gwaine smirked. “I can't tell you the exact address, but I can take you there.”

“Forget it, Gwaine.”

Gwaine ignored his warning tone. “We can double date, if you prefer! You and Merlin; Percy and–”

“No fucking way.”

“Oh, come on, Princess! It's gonna be so much fun!”

“For whom?” Arthur frowned his upper lip in disdain. “Only for you, I bet.”

“I promise to behave!”

“You say it as if your word is worth something.”

Gwaine shrugged. “Maybe it  isn't for you, but Percy's  is . And he certainly knows how to ask,” Gwaine sounded quite biting, then.

Arthur squinted at him. “Is that why you were so quiet last Friday?” he wondered. “I knew it wasn't normal of you.  What did he do? Threatened to withhold sex or something?”

“Something like that.” Gwaine said, than sighed. “So? Take it or leave it.”

Arthur took a deep breath, his lip curling in displeasure. “Alright,” he gave in, although he was sure he'd regret this decision in the near future. “But I'll have a chat with Percy first.”

“Be my guest!”

“And, Gwaine?” Arthur held his friend's stare with gravity, pointing his pen at him. “No drugs.”

“Oh, you really are no fun _at all_ , Arthur,” Gwaine groaned. “It's not like you were a saint back in college–”

“That's not the point here,” Arthur cut him off, cranky. “Promise me,” he insisted, crossing his arms.

Gwaine looked up to the ceiling, growling. “Okay, alright, I promise. No drugs.”

“And don't say a word to Merlin. I want to surprise him.”

“Oh, you're so cute when you're besotted like this, Princess,” Gwaine said, moving as if to pinch one of Arthur's cheeks, but the blond moved faster, batting his hand away. “You don't even look like the wanker we both know you truly are.”

“Shut it,” Arthur gave him an eye-roll and followed Gwaine's eye line outside, watching Leon walking towards them.

“Good morning!” Leon said as he peeked inside the office. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Quite the contrary,” Arthur assured, gesturing for Gwaine. “He's all yours.”

Gwaine wagged his eyebrows suggestively at Leon, who sighed sufferingly.

.M.

“Hey, hello Mary,” Merlin greeted the woman behind the Starbuck's counter.

“Hey, Merlin! Long time no see!” Mary said cheerfully. “What's happened?”

“I'm getting in earlier at work lately,” Merlin shrugged. “Summer break schedule.”

“So, what're you having today?”

“A classic Earl Gray, large, please.”

“That's it?” she asked and Merlin nodded his agreement. “For here or to go?”

“To go,” Merlin smiled. “It's for my boyfriend.” He felt himself blushing at his own words, looking around to make sure no one had witnessed his embarrassment.

“Do you want me to have his name on the cup?” Mary offered, smiling back at him.

“Yes, please. It's Arthur.”

Mary looked at him positively cheeky after finishing with her pen.

.M.

“I brought something for you,” Merlin said, placing the bag before Arthur, on top of his desk. “Loved the tie, by the way,” he said, biting his lower lip as he recognized the tie with which he had secured him to the bed, last Friday.

“I was hoping you'd like it,” Arthur smiled crookedly, letting go of the mouse to peek inside the bag. “You didn't have to do this, but...” he trailed off, taking a sip from the tea and sighing. “I missed this.” He raised his cup as if in a toast and then frowned at it. “What's this?”

“What?” Merlin asked, swinging at his own feet.

Instead of answering, Arthur turned the cup around so that Merlin could read it. It said 'Arthur, Merlin's boyfriend', and had little hearts drawn all around it.

Merlin groaned, face-planting. “Oh, God... I can't believe Mary did this...”

“Mary?” Arthur stood at attention like a bloodhound. “Merlin, you didn't make friends with the Starbucks attendant too, did you?”

“She's nice to me and I see her every day...” Merlin explained.

“I can't believe it,” Arthur shook his head. He put the cup back on the desk and reached for something in his pocket, tossing it to Merlin, who grabbed it just before it hit him square in the face. “Load my car. We're leaving in twenty.”

“Yes, sire.” Merlin pressed his lips in a thin line, rotating the car keys in his fingers before leaving Arthur's office.

Merlin found Gwaine sitting by one of the workstations next to his own, right besides Gwen.

“What're you doing here?” Merlin asked, moving closer to Gwaine, who took his headset off at spotting him, grinning like a loon.

“He's back!” Gwen answered before Gwaine had the chance to. “Morgana released him last Friday.”

“Now you won't need to go down to fourth floor every Friday just to see me!” Gwaine added, looking pleased with himself.

“Er... I'll still need to stop by there every Friday to get my paycheck,” he said, dropping his backpack over his desk and frowning at it. “Wait. Where's Kilgharrah?”

“What's that?” Gwen sounded confused.

“Oh, you must be looking for your dragon toy?” Gwaine said, grabbing something of his desk. “It was looking pretty lonely sitting there on your desk, all by itself, so I put it next to my horse.”

“Are you insane?” Merlin snatched Kilgharrah from Gwaine's hand, hugging it to his chest. “He's a dragon! He eats horses for breakfast! Don't you come whining at me later.”

Gwaine barked a laugh, falling onto his chair backrest. “It  _so_ good to be back,” he said, making Gwen smile in return, shaking her head. “I mean, don't get me wrong, Gwen. Elyan's a nice guy and shit, but you guys have a special place in my heart.” He turned back to Merlin. “Specially you, sweetie.” He sent Merlin a kiss and winked.

“Gwaine!” they heard Arthur's reproach from inside his office. “Will I have to sign you up for that lecture about harassment again?”

“No need to be jealous, Princess,” Gwaine shouted right back, spinning on his chair to face his boss. “You're always in my heart too!”

Merlin sighed, putting Kilgharrah back on his place over his desk before throwing the keys to the air and grabbing it again. “Well, I'd love to keep chatting with you guys, but I gotta go now.”

“Hey, Merlin!” Gwaine called before he could leave. “Don't worry, I'll be right here when you come back!”

Merlin gave him an eye-roll, but chuckled, turning his back on him again. He met Arthur's disapproving stare then.

“Fifteen minutes, Merlin!”

“I'm on my way! Jeez!”

.M.

Arthur had barely got in the car when Merlin grabbed him by the tie, pulling him in for a kiss. It had been raining that morning, so the car roof was fixed in place, granting them some blessed privacy.

“Hmm,” Arthur hummed approvingly.

“We should go now,” Merlin said in between kisses.

“I know,” Arthur agreed, kissing him back again.

Merlin let go of his tie with a resigned sigh, fixing it and smoothing the fabric of his shirt next before putting the seat belt on.

“So,” Arthur said when they left the garage. “What's it you want to tell me?”

Merlin gaped at him warily. “How do you know I've got something to tell you?”

“Merlin, you can't hide anything from me,” Arthur tsked, averting his eyes from the traffic for a moment to grip Merlin's chin. “And you've got that suspicious look about you. Shifty. Like you've got something to _hide_.”

“I'm an open book!” Merlin forced his face muscles to relaxation, but the corners of his lips insisted on curling upwards.

“I don't believe that for a second. Come on, say it already,” Arthur urged him.

“Last night, my mother said she's gonna take a few days off from work,” Merlin said, acting casual about it. “She's gonna go visiting my aunt in Ireland.”

“Really?” Arthur's eyes widened. “When?”

“She'll be leaving on Friday night and she'll stay there the whole week,” Merlin pressed his lips together to disguise a self-congratulatory smile.

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur squeezed Merlin's tight, smirking and shaking his head. “You'll have to pack your things too.”

Merlin blinked, puzzled. “What? Why?”

“Because you'll be staying at mine, of course,” Arthur stated as if it was obvious. “I can lend you my couch for the week, if you promise not to make a mess,” he said playfully.

Merlin was still looking at him agape, though. “You want me to stay at your place  _the whole week?_ ”

“Sure!” Arthur shrugged. “Why not?”

Merlin could think of a few reasons why that could go horribly wrong. “But I'd have to tell my mom about it,” Merlin said, for once. “I couldn't keep it from her, you know? She'll notice if I'm never home to pick up the phone.”

“I'll talk to her, if you'd like,” Arthur said, looking unfazed. “She must be worrying about leaving you all by yourself for this long. I'm sure she won't object.”

“But...” Merlin opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, not sure of how to voice his fears. He knew he was overreacting a bit. His mother probably wouldn't mind it, after all she was the one to always insist Merlin went out more often and she hardly asked questions when he came back, but the fact that he was hiding so much from her lately was taking it's price, making him paranoid.

“Why, I can't see why you look so shocked,” Arthur continued. “We can tell her you'll be staying at my spare room.”

“We're talking about ten days or so, Arthur! Not just a weekend!”

“So what?”

“People're gonna notice if we go to work together every day!”

“Not if we're discreet.”

“But what about your family?” Merlin insisted. “Your friends, your commitments... Your privacy, for God's sake!”

Arthur frowned. “Merlin, I live alone, if you haven't noticed yet,” he turned to face him at a red light. “My father and my sister are my only family and they're not the kind of people who pay visits to one another or have family brunch every Sunday. My commitments are with my work; at working hours, for the most part. And I see my friends every day at the office, so they are unlikely  going to show up at my place, let alone unannounced. And you'd hardly intrude in my privacy; you're  _part_ of my privacy.”

Merlin swallowed dry. The truth was he was feeling insecure. He had never spent that much time with Arthur. What if he ended up realizing Merlin was far more immature than he thought at first? Or worst even, what if he got sick of him halfway through the week?

When no answer came, Arthur averted his eye. “Unless... Unless  _you_ don't want to stay at my place all that time. Is that it?” he said and his tone sounded quite icy to Merlin's ears.

“No! No, it's not that,” Merlin hurried to explain. “I just didn't see it coming. I mean, I thought that, at the very most, you'd call me to spend one night or the other.”

“Why would I do that if I can have you with me all the time?” Arthur shook his head. “Honestly, Merlin...”

Merlin bit the inside of his cheek to disguise the smile that was threatening to split his face in two. “You mean you're gonna  lend me your couch, then?” he teased after a while.

Arthur smirked then. “My couch, the guest room, my bed, the dinner table, the balcony, the tub...” he shrugged. “I can even picture you pretty... comfortable in any of  these places. Even on top of the living room rug, to be honest. There's only one small condition.”

“Oh yeah?” Merlin raised an eyebrow questioningly. “And what's it?”

“I don't tolerate people overdressed at my place.”

Merlin pretended to consider it for a while. “Well, I think I can deal with that.”

“Great,” Arthur said, nodding with satisfaction.

Merlin finally allowed the shit eating smile to take over his features as they stared at each other before Merlin looked away, embarrassed from too much happiness.

“Tell your mother I'll take her to the airport,” Arthur said at last, giving a final squeeze on his thigh. “And I won't take no for an answer.”

“If you insist...” Merlin shrugged and slid his hand through the length of Arthur's arm until he reached his hand, entwining their fingers.

.Merlin.

Merlin sneezed loudly after picking up a particularly dusty box.

“Cheers!” he heard someone saying and turned around to see Gwaine walking into the store room.

“If it was Arthur who sent you over here,” Merlin wiped his mouth on his t-shirt's sleeve before finishing his sentence, “tell him I haven't found the file yet, but I haven't gave up hope either.”

Gwaine tsked. “Even if Arthur was the kind of person to send word, do you honestly think he'd send a message to you though me, of all people?”

Merlin considered it for a while before shaking his head, placing the box on the floor. “Yeah, I guess you have a point.” He got to his knees to rummage thought the contents of the box.

“Need a hand?”

“Oh, no, it's fine, I've got it.” Merlin pulled out of the box and sniffled, feeling part of the secretion in his nose sliding down his throat without his consent, making him shiver, “Yuck!”

“Sure. I can see you have everything under control here,” Gwaine sounded slightly ironic. Merlin looked up from the box at hearing the whisper of dragged cardboard and saw Gwaine pulling another box, kneeling by his side. “What're we looking for, again?”

“No, no, you don't have to–” Merlin tried to stop him, but Gwaine didn't let him finish.

“Not that I don't find you hot, bending over those boxes like that, but I never settle for watching, only,” Gwaine shrugged. “I rather get my hands dirty, if you know what I mean.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I appreciate the help, but I'm sure you have much more useful things to do than stick your face in all this dust,” Merlin sniffed again. “Besides, Arthur won't be pleased if he finds you here.”

“I'm used to dealing with Princess by now,” Gwaine dismissed his worries, pulling a few files out of the box. “Now tell me what we're searching for.”

Merlin gave up on trying to dissuade him, passing on the information about the file Arthur needed him to find.

“So,” Gwaine said as he flipped through the folders, “are you ready for tonight?”

Merlin stared at him, frowning. “Did Arthur mention something to you about tonight?” he asked, finding it odd. They had set it all up last night: Arthur would stop by Merlin's after work to take his mother to the airport. Then they would leave Merlin's stuff at Arthur's place and head out. Where to, Merlin had absolutely no idea. He had asked and insisted, but Arthur refused to tell him their destination even after Merlin had threatened not to stay at his place during his mother's trip.

“If it wasn't for me, tonight wouldn't even happen, pet,” Gwaine said smugly.

“What do you mean?” Merlin wondered.

“I wish I could tell you, but I'm quite fond of my balls, you see.”

Merlin meant to press him on, but he knew it wouldn't be fair to Gwaine. “What about Percy?” he asked, instead.

Gwaine looked at him, his brow furrowed. “What about Percy?”

“How are things between the two of you?” Merlin asked, somewhat distractedly, as he went through the folders.

“Oh... Nice.” Gwaine shrugged.

Merlin nudged him with his shoulder. “Oh, come on, Gwaine. You don't have to pretend with me. I know you're crazy about Percy.”

“Of course I am crazy about him. I mean, who isn't? I don't know how people manage to work by his side without getting distracted by those muscles flexing about.” Gwaine made an illustrative gesture with his own biceps. “And those legs of his? Have you seen his legs?”

“Yes, I have,” Merlin said, bending over the box again so that Gwaine couldn't see him flushing after remembering Percy playing football, his shorts catching on his thick thighs as he ran. “But I'm not talking only about that, you know? I'm talking about you liking to hang out with him, smiling when he's around, wanting to hold hands, cuddle, missing the smell of him... those kinds of things.”

Gwaine stopped for a moment, staring at the folders in his hands with a blank face. He let his hands fall to his lap then, pulling a face. “Honestly, Merlin, I'm awful at those kinds of things. Relationships, I mean. And good old romance. Percy's the romantic one; I'm just the guy who screws it all up, eventually. I seriously can't fathom why he  hasn't dumped me yet.”

“Hey, I doubt Percy would give up on you that easily,” Merlin said, touched by the earnestness of the comment. “I mean, you guys have known each other for quite some time, right? I'm sure he knows you very well, by now.”

“I know, but...” Gwaine sighed, running one hand through his hair as he turned to face Merlin. “You're probably too young to understand this, Merlin, but people hardly fall in love for one another for what they are. They fall for an ideal, a projection of themselves, or their abusive father or their overprotective mother, or whatever bullshit the therapists say these days. The point is you only see in other people what you want to and you convince yourself you can fix whatever possible diversion from that image you created. Percy probably thinks he can change me, turn me into a one man guy, but, believe me when I say it, nobody can change anybody.”

Gwaine threw the folders back in the box and closet it, putting it back at it's place before dragging the next one. He changed subject suddenly, making a few comments about some of the company's oldest clients as he flipped through them, but Merlin listened with half his mind. He was still running through his words over and over.

“Gwaine,” Merlin sat down on his ankles, having reached the end of his own box.

“Hm?” Gwaine turned to face him when Merlin didn't say anything right away. “What's the matter?”

“I was just wondering...” Merlin bit his lower lip. “You've known Arthur for quite a while, right?”

“More than a decade, yeah,” Gwaine said, moving his attention back to the box. “Why the question?”

Merlin took a deep breath before speaking again. “I don't know if you recall it, but I asked you if Arthur had hooked up with a guy before, the day before his birthday. Well, I don't think you actually answered the question.”

“Didn't I, now?” Gwaine frowned, seeming lost in thoughts. “No, I don't think he ever did. As far as I know, he never really showed any interest for another man.”

“And you both never...?” Merlin trailed off, averting his eyes.

“Arthur and I?” Gwaine barked a laugh. “Are you kidding me?”

“Now you'll tell me you never made a move on him?” Merlin asked, doubtful. “You flirt with everybody!”

“True.” Gwaine frowned again, pensive. “Well, I guess I used to hit on him, at first.” He smirked then, flopping down on the floor besides Merlin. “We used to share a room back in Oxford, you see. I remember the first thing he said to me was that he didn't gave a flying fuck if I wanted to bring somebody over as long as I gave him a heads-up so that he could piss off, so long as no one messed with his stuff. I usually spent the night out, though, more often then not. I only dropped by to shower and change and sometimes I was lucky enough to caught him shirtless.” Gwaine sighed longingly. “Arthur always liked to work out. Jesus, I had a boner just by seeing him pumping some iron... He caught me with my hand inside my pants once, watching as he was doing some push-ups.”

“Gwaine!” Merlin's eyes nearly popped out. “I can't believe it, you fucking perv!”

“I told you I'm not one to settle with watching only, didn't I?” Gwaine arched an eyebrow. “Arthur didn't play hard to get, though; he would just look at me from the corner of his eye as if I were insane and shake his head or roll his eyes. It might be hard for you to believe it, but I can recognize a lost battle when I see it and it simply wasn't fun messing with him. Messing with his girlfriends, on the other hand... That's what fun is about,” Gwaine smiled to himself, nostalgic.

“He said the two you kissed once,” Merlin said.

Gwaine seemed about to deny it but then his eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Oh my, that fucking pool!” Gwaine have him a shit eating grin. “I almost forgot it! Hey, you're a  lucky boy, Merlin,” he patted at Merlin's shoulder. “That was some kiss he gave me. And the bastard didn't even let me use my tongue! But I didn't nurture any illusions of him being remotely interested in me, at that the point. I was merely teasing him, really.”

Merlin frowned, torn between jealousy and pride. He was far from satisfied with Gwaine's answers, though.

“You said it yourself that you didn't spend that much time on your shared room,” Merlin said at last. “How would you know if he invited other guys over?”

Gwaine considered it for a moment before looking up at him. “Nahh. I'd have known. I mean, look at this,” Gwaine stood up and pulled his shirt from inside his trousers, showing him his abs. Merlin really tried to avert his eyes, but he found out he couldn't. “You see? No one resists looking at this, gay or straight,” Gwaine tucked his shirt back in before kneeling down in front of his box again. “But there's looking and  _looking_ and, believe me, I know the difference. I'd definitely be able to tell it if he were into men before.”

“And yet you never thought it weird that he would be into me?” Merlin asked, suspicious.

“Honestly, I'd have thought it weird if he _weren't_ into you.”

“Gwaine, I'm trying to be serious here.”

“Me too!” Gwaine reached for Merlin's face, holding his chin up. “Merlin, you're the most adorable thing. Any person would be lucky to have you.”

“But you said it yourself that nobody can change anybody!”

Gwaine opened his mouth to say something, but ended up huffing loudly, dropping his hand. “Jesus, I suck at this, don't I?” He rubbed at his face. “Look... I don't think you changed Arthur. I think he was always potentially bisexual, only he never found the right stimulus, you see?”

Merlin simply stared back at him for a moment, skeptical. “Do you know what the first thing I said to Arthur  was when we met?” Merlin asked. “I said he was an ass. I doubt that's the stimulation you were referring to.”

Gwaine laughed his ass off, the sodding bastard, his face hidden behind a lock of hair before he put it back behind his ear. Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for a passable explanation.

“Why, but that's exactly what I'm referring to, Merlin!” Gwaine wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Just look at Arthur from this point of view: he's the director of his father's company; he's used to people kissing his ass on a daily basis, be it out of self-interest or fear; suddenly, there comes you, still wet behind the ears, sticking out you chest like a fucking rooster and telling some truths right at his face!”

“Hey–” Merlin cried out in outrage, but Gwaine didn't let him finish his objection.

“Merlin, Arthur hates being treated patronizingly or condescendingly. He despises boot-lickers, gold-diggers and social-climbers and, being who he is, he had a fair share of those people trying to get close to him. But you... You challenged him and called him on it right from the start! No wonder he fell for you!”

“But...” Merlin looked down, thoroughly puzzled. “But he's bloody control freak most of the time! I though he didn't like being challenged at all!” he reasoned.

Gwaine shook his head. “That's where you're so very wrong. One thing doesn't rule out the other. Quite the contrary. The fact that you rebelled to his control only makes him more enraptured by you. Haven't you noticed it yet?”

Merlin looked away,  remembering the events of last Friday, when Merlin had tied Arthur to the bed. He could barely believe it himself, actually. When he made the suggestion, he was sure Arthur would refuse it right away. Oh, he was curious to learn how it'd be to have full control on the situation for a change, but now he began to ask himself if that hadn't been his own way to test Arthur, see how far he would let Merlin go.

“You see?” Gwaine pointed a knowing finger at Merlin, who blushed all the more. “That's what I'm talking about,” he held Merlin's shoulders, forcing him to look back at him. “Merlin, listen to me. You're the most amazing person I've ever known. You're loving and captivating and sweet; you care about people and yet you're no fool; You know how to be honest and stand up for yourself and even fight back, when you truly believe it to be fair. What you have yet to learn is that you don't have to try and be someone else for others to like you. Least of all Arthur. If he really cares about you – and I'm pretty sure that he does –, he'll have to accept you for who you are; with your sassy attitude, your defiance, your flat-chest, and your dick. All of it. If he isn't willing to accept the whole package, then he doesn't deserves you. Do you understand?” he shook Merlin for good measure.

Merlin nodded vigorously. “I do,” he said, still quite dazed by Gwaine's unexpectedly passionate speech.

“Great, because I don't want to ever have to say it again,” Gwaine let go of Merlin and looked as if he was trying to hold back a shiver, but failing entirely. “Jesus, I need a drink.” He bended over his box again.

Merlin surprised even himself with his own chucking, covering his mouth with his hand. “I'm sorry. That's was freaking odd,” he admitted, embarrassed.

Gwaine smirked. “I know, right?” he flipped over the folder he held in hand. “Hey! Found it!”

“You found it?” Merlin snatched it from his hand and looked it over. “You found it!”

“Well, Merlin, I think I deserve a compensation after that.”

“Shut up!” Merlin snapped back, smiling.

There was a noise coming from the other side of the room.

“I think I'd settle for a kiss, though,” Gwaine said, lashing out on him.

Merlin dodged at the last moment with a startled yelp, but lost his balance, sprawling out on the floor under Gwaine's weight.

“THE FUCKING HELL'S GOING ON HERE?” Merlin heard Arthur's shout and froze, his palm flat on Gwaine's chest, keeping him as far away from him as possible. Fortunately, Gwaine had stopped trying to reach for his neck, but kept a firm hold on Merlin's T-shirt with both his hands.

Merlin swallowed dry at Arthur's wrathful expression, but before he could say anything, he felt an itching in his nose and his face contorted instinctively. He turned to the side right on time. “ _Achoo_ !”

It was Gwaine's turn to pull a face, then. “Oh, man...” he said, moving away and wiping his face at his shirt's sleeve. “And here I was thinking Arthur was the specialist on ruining the mood.”

“What's going on here?” The three of them turned towards the door when they heard Sophia Feix's high-pitched voice. She was looking at them with round eyes. “I heard shouting.”

Soon, the narrow room was crowded with curious people staring at the three of them, looking startled, Gwen among them.

“It's nothing,” Merlin assured, getting to his feet and sniffing. “I fell. Everything's alright.”

“Are you crying?” Sophia squeaked, looking from Arthur's furious expression to Gwaine's wrinkled shirt.

“It's the dust,” Merlin cleared out, rubbing at his nose. “I'm allergic to it.”

“Hey, guys, I think we'd better get back to work,” Gwen said, proceeding to efficiently shoo the others away.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Arthur turned to face Gwaine. “Gwaine?” he called between gritted teeth.

“Princess?” Gwaine acted unconcerned, smoothing out his own clothes.

“You have five seconds to get out of my face.”

“But I–” Gwaine started to say, pointing at the file on Merlin's hands.

“Four, three–”

Gwaine cursed and stormed out, shutting the door right on 'two'. Arthur turned towards Merlin then, folding his arms ominously.

Merlin gave him an eye-roll. “Don't give me that look. He was just helping me find this,” Merlin pushed the file at Arthur Arthur's chest.

Arthur grabbed it in a reflexive move. “Oh, really? And was it under your shirt, by any chance?” he asked, his nostrils flaring. “Or perhaps inside your pants?”

“Oh, don't be daft!” Merlin turned his back on him, offended, getting started on putting everything back in place. “You know Gwaine. He was behaving exemplary right to the moment you came in the room. He only does that to tease you, you know. Gwaine's your friend, Arthur. He would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I wouldn't be so sure,” Arthur said, still fuming.

“Well, I guess you'll have to trust me on this, then.” Merlin turned on his heels and patted Arthur's cheek on a bold move. “And even if he did intended to act on it, I'm not interested.” He winked and walked out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Arthur behind.

.M.

“Oh my God!” Hunith cried out from the passenger seat, holding her hair out of her face. “I forgot my toilet bag over the bathroom sink!”

Arthur pushed the button to put the car roof back in place, cursing himself for forgetting women didn't usually like to have their hair blowing in the wind.

“I got it, mom,” Merlin said from the back seat. “I put it in your bag.”

“Oh, thank God,” Hunith breathed out, relieved. She turned to face her son then. “I'm sorry, my dear. I don't know where I left my head this past week.”

“Oh, I can take a guess,” Merlin said, sounding moping. “It's in Ireland, already.”

“Oh, there's no point in resorting to emotional blackmail at this point, sweetheart. You agreed that I should go on this trip.” Hunith turned to face Arthur. “I wasn't planing on staying there this long, you know? I was hoping to go on Saturday and get back by Thursday, at the very most, but Merlin insisted I should spend the whole week. In fact, I suspect he can't wait to get rid of me.”

“Not true!” Merlin contested right away.

Arthur moved closer to Hunith, as if he was about to tell her a secret. “He'll probably cry like a baby the moment you get in the plain.”

“Hey!” Merlin said, indignant.

Hunith sighed. “I'll probably be the only one crying here, but thanks for trying to cheer me up, Arthur, dear.” She sniffed and Arthur was shocked to realize she was really crying. “I'm sorry, air travels usually make me a little nervous,” she apologized, wiping the corner of her eyes.

“Oh, mom...” Merlin groaned, sticking an arm between the front seats to hold her hand. “It's going to be alright.”

“I know, honey. I know.” Hunith squeezed her son's hand between both of her's. “I'm just being silly, as always.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Merlin insisted. “I won't even be alone the entiretime!”

“I know...” Hunith noisily blew her nose.

“I promise I'll keep an eye on him,” Arthur intruded, feeling both awful to witness such a intimate scene and glad that Merlin had a mother who cared that much for her son. Or maybe simply because he _had_ a mother, period. “ I'll make sure he eats his vegetables, scrubs behind his ears, brushes his teeth before going to bed–”

“Arthur!” Merlin cried out.

Hunith touched Arthur's shoulder lightly. “Thank you, my dear,” she offered him a warm smile. “And thank you for inviting him to stay over.”

“It's no problem at all,” Arthur assured her. “Enjoy your trip, your family, and leave Merlin to me.”

Hunith's smile became somewhat melancholic and she blew her nose again.

When they reached the airport, Merlin refused Arthur's help to carry his mother's bag and Arthur watched from afar while he joined her to check-in, sitting down on one of the empty seats nearby. He got distracted for a moment watching people pass by and startled to realize Hunith had taken the seat beside him.

“Merlin offered to fetch me a coffee,” Hunith said when Arthur looked around, searchingly. “I'd rather stay fully alert during the flight.”

“I see,” Arthur said, wondering how much of that uneasiness had something to do with her husband's accident.

“I tried taking medication to sleep before, but it proved to be worse,” Hunith went on with a sigh. “I don't blame Merlin for not willing to join me, you know? He was about ten, last time I made him go with me. I still didn't have the courage to step in an airplane back then and going by train and ferry is quite tiring, not to mention never-ending. He chose to stay at Will's, after that. At least until he turned fifteen, when he insisted he could fend for himself.” She made a pause, but continued her speech before Arthur could add anything. “I hated leaving him alone, but the neighbors helped keep an eye on him. Will was always there too and Anne, his mother, made sure to drop by once in a while to check on him. I must admit I was surprised when he told me you had offered him his spare room; or rather, I was surprised he accepted the offer.”

She had said that in a light tone, but there was something about her stance that made Arthur straighten up his spine, shifting on his seat and averting her eyes. “Hunith, I–” Arthur was about to reinforce that it was no inconvenience and that he in fact liked Merlin's company, but Hunith stopped him, staring him right in the eyes.

“Arthur,” she said. All the carelessness had abandoned her posture and she sounded fierce and threatening in a way Arthur had never deemed her capable of, “I don't know you that well, but I rather believe that you're a good person.”

“Um. Thank you,” Arthur said, unsure. He felt his palms breaking sweat in apprehension. He could have the luxury of not getting along with Will or anyone else close to Merlin, but Hunith was the most important person in Merlin's life and the mere possibility hat she didn't approve of him was disturbing, to say the least.

“But I know my son,” Hunith continued in the same business tone. “He's the most precious thing to me. I couldn't have asked for a more loving, kind, responsible and generous son.”

“Yes. I agree,” Arthur nodded readily.

“And I know you care about him.”

“I do,” Arthur bravely held her evaluating stare, swallowing dry. “I honestly do.”

“Great. Because I would never tolerate anyone deliberately hurting my son,” she sounded truly menacing and Arthur didn't doubt her words for a second.

“I-I would never!” Arthur assured. “Ever. Not deliberately.”

“I'm glad we cleared that out, then,” Hunith said and then her eyes fixed on some point over his shoulder and her face spitted up in a fond smile again. Arthur didn't have to look back to know Merlin was approaching them. “Thank you, love,” she reached to take the paper cup from her son's hand.

“Here,” Merlin offered another cup to Arthur, who took in unthinkingly.

“Thank you, Merlin,” Arthur said.

Merlin smirked. “Why, did you just thank me for something?” Merlin teased. “You never say thank you!”

Arthur looked away, sipping at his tea. Earl Gray, classic, obviously. Merlin never forgot. But Arthur wished he could have something stronger. He could still feel Hunith's eyes on him and the worst  thing was Arthur wasn't sure what to think of all that. He knew a warning when he heard one. And he also knew she was testing him someway, but he couldn't tell if he had passed the test or not. What did she think about him? Was she suspecting what was going on between them? Was she thinking Arthur was taking advantage of Merlin? Giving him false hope? Deceiving him in some way? Using him?

Christ, Arthur really should talk to her, make things clear. In fact, he should do it immediately! He should hold Merlin's hand and tell her his intentions were the most honorable. He knew Merlin didn't like keeping any of that from his mother. And yet, before Arthur could gather his strengths to do any of that, they heard the boarding call for her flight though the speakers.

Hunith hurriedly got on her feet, hugging Merlin tight. “Promise me you'll behave,” she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears once again while she held her son's face between her hands, “and that you'll call me if anything happens. Anything at all.”

“I promise, mom.” Merlin leaned forward to kiss her cheek and they hugged again. “I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

Arthur stood up too, throwing his empty cup on a trash can and sticking his hands in his jeans pockets, feeling like an intruder.

“Arthur.” Hunith surprised him with a hug. “He looks happy with you,” she said next to his ear just so no one could hear it besides him. “Make sure he stays that way.”

“Of course,” Arthur answered, amazed. “I promise.”

She kissed Arthur's cheek and briefly held his chin, her smile now not too different from the one she was giving her son a moment ago. She stepped away before Arthur could react, pulling a tissue from her handbag and blowing her nose.

Arthur found himself speechless.

“Don't forget to call as soon as you land,” Merlin said out loud.

“I won't,” Hunith said back.

Arthur heard Merlin sniffing while they watched her joining the line to go through security. “Are you crying yet?” he asked, assessing him with a raised eyebrow.

Merlin nudged him on the ribs not so lightly. “It's my allergies!” he said, indignant. “And that's your fault, you know. Making me breath in all that dust from the store room.”

Arthur smiled and stepped closer to him, circling him with one hand around his waist.

Merlin's eyes nearly popped out. “What the hell? She's right there!”

“I know.” Arthur brought him closer still, pulling him in to peck him on the cheek.

Merlin gasped. “Oh my God!” he leaned back just enough to look him in the eye. “You told her!”

“No, I didn't,” Arthur said, waving when Hunith looked their way.

She waved back. She was too far for him to be sure, but he thought he saw her smiling.

“But...” Merlin trailed off, puzzled. “What happened, then?”

“Let's just say your mother's a truly remarkable woman.”

Merlin's face lit up with a eye-crinkling smile and he threw his arms around Arthur's neck. “I know,” he nuzzled Arthur's neck lightly. “I know.”

.M.

As soon as they got in the car, Merlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Will.

' _My mom knows!_ '

He put his seat belt on and held his phone in his lap, trying to suppress a silly smile. He startled with Arthur's hand on his knee.

“Hey. Everything alright?” Arthur asked, looking at him assessingly.

“Sure, yeah,” Merlin said, averting his eyes and placing one hand over his mouth when he failed to stop the persistent smile from showing on his face.

“She'll be fine.” Arthur squeezed his knee before bucking up, pressing the button to remove the car's roof. “The flight won't take more than an hour and a half.”

“Oh...” Merlin said, realizing Arthur had assumed he was nervous about his mother's fight. “Sure. You're right,” he said instead of clarifying it. He didn't think he could explain what was really going on. Normally, he'd be worried sick about his mother in an airplane, but all he could feel was relief now that his mother knew. And pride for Arthur, since he was the one to tell her.

Merlin looked down at his phone when it buzzed with an income text.

' _What does she know? Did you tell her about that jacket you lent me last year? I told you it was a fucking accident!_ '

Merlin puffed and wrote back.

' _I'm talking about Arthur and I! Arthur told her just now!_ '

' _Well, it was about damn time. I hope she threatened to cut his balls off and feed them to my neighbors dogs if he fucks up_ .'

_'God, Will, that's gross! Of course she didn't do any of that!'_

_'Shame. But I know your mother. She must have threatened him in some way. Come on, spit it out.'_

_'I don't think so. I mean, I don't know. I wasn't around when they talked.'_

_'I bet she scared his ass off. Ten bucks he broke out in a cold sweat. Come on, see if he did.'_

Merlin bit his lower lip, hesitating for a moment before reaching out for Arthur's free hand, resting over his thigh. It was warm and... well, maybe a bit clammy.

“Are you talking to Gwaine?” Arthur asked, sneaking a peek at Merlin's phone. “Tell him to chill. I told him I'd call him when we got home.”

“No, it's not Gwaine,” Merlin said. “It's just Will.”

Arthur's lips curled in disdain when he got his attention back on the traffic.

“Where're we going, again?” Merlin pressed, not carrying if he sounded like a stubborn child.

They stopped at a red light and Arthur leaned closer, kissing him on the nose tip. “I already told you, it's a surprise, Merlin.”

“Come on, Arthur... You have to tell me these things beforehand,” Merlin argued. “How am I to know how to dress up?”

Arthur sighed. “What's in it for me, if I tell you?” he acted indifferent.

“I'm sure I can figure out how to suitably reward you when we get to yours. I learned a few useful things with my supervisor, you see?”

Arthur shifted on the driver seat and Merlin could see his knuckles whitening up when he gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Alright,” he gave in. “We're going to a gay nightclub with Gwaine and Percy.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Merlin jumped on the seat excitedly. “I gotta tell Will this, he won't believe it!” He looked back at his phone, typing furiously.

“You're not inviting him too, are you?” Arthur sounded worried, suddenly.

“What? No!” Merlin laughed nervously. “I mean, not that Will would mind going to a gay nightclub, but he'd probably stare at the girls making out or, even worse, hit on them.”

“Yeah, I bet the would,” Arthur sounded a bit suspicious, still.

Merlin met Arthur's questioning loon and offered him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand. Arthur smiled back and shifted his attention back to the traffic. Merlin took a bit longer to text Will again. This time with one hand only.

' _No sweat, by the way. You owe me ten bucks._ '

He smiled to himself, putting his phone back in his pockets and trying to decide what to wear  to the nightclub.

They grabbed take-out on their way to Arthur's apartment and ate by the kitchen counter. Arthur tried to distract him with some chit-chat every time Merlin checked on his phone, but he couldn't help counting the minutes for his mother's call. Gwaine texted saying he was on his way and asking if there was enough food for them. When the intercom buzzed, Merlin took his bag and climbed up the stairs to get ready. Arthur offered to join him, but Merlin lectured him on entertaining his guests.

Merlin had brought just a small bag with some changes to work, pajamas and underwear, as well as extra pair of shoes and his boots. He picked the boots, the skinny jeans he had chosen from the feminine section of the  store – the ass-hugging one he knew for a fact Arthur was nuts about – and a tight, short T-shirt with the saying ' _Closets are for clothes_ ' in a rainbow background. He grabbed his toilet bag and got in Arthur's bathroom.

He had never been in a gay nightclub before. A girl's couple had invited him once when he had just got in college, but  he was underage back then and didn't want to cause them trouble. Trying to ignore his own nerves, Merlin dressed up, put his leather bracelet on, brushed his teeth, styled up his hair and was about to put his things away when his eyes fell on the zip outside his toilet bag. He bit his lower lip, looking at himself through the mirror, wondering if he should open it.

Merlin had put on makeup before, when he was younger. Mostly when Hunith wasn't home to see it. He knew where she kept her makeup and had spent some time locked in his own bedroom, experimenting with it. Yet, he had never mentioned it to anyone, let alone let someone see him wearing it. Besides, he had no idea if Arthur was into that kind of thing and the mere possibility of displeasing him left him even more on edge.

Merlin tsked and moved to go back to the bedroom, but then he heard Gwaine's laugh coming from downstairs and froze. Gwaine had told him Merlin didn't have to try and be somebody else just so he could please others. Even when it came to Arthur. Still, Merlin wasn't sure if he was the kind of person who wore makeup to go party.

“Dammit,” Merlin mumbled, locking the bathroom door and opening his bag's side zip. He pulled out only the eye pencil and the lip gloss he had bought a few weeks later and started to apply the eyeliner before he could change his mind again. He had to remove it on the first two attempts for he was shaking on nerves. The third wasn't too bad. He assessed his reflexion on the mirror closely. It was quite discreet, he concluded. Maybe Arthur wouldn't even notice it.

Merlin was applying the lip gloss when his phone went off. He nearly toppled everything on the sink in his hurry to pick it up. “Mom!” he said, noticing the relief in his own voice. He hadn't realized how worried he was until that very moment.

“ _Hello, my dear_ ,” Hunith answered, sounding tired. “ _I just landed._ ”

Someone knocked on the bathroom door, then. “ _Everything alright over there?_ ” Merlin heard Arthur's voice.

He unlocked the door unthinkingly.

“Did you have a nice flight?” Merlin asked, pointing to his phone just so Arthur knew who he was talking to.

“ _Sure_.” Hunith yawned noisily. “ _I_ _haven't_ _even got my luggage yet, but Meg must be waiting for me outside._ ”

“Okay.” Merlin shifted the phone from one ear to the other and started to gather his stuff over the sink to clear out the bathroom for Arthur to use it. “Tell aunt Meg I said hi.”

“ _I will,_ ” Hunith assured him. “ _How are you?_ ”

“I'm great!” Merlin said, looking over his shoulder at Arthur. He hadn't moved a muscle since Merlin had opened the door. Merlin smiled, figuring he was apprehensive because of his mother. “We're great, really.” He cocked an eyebrow at Arthur, leaning a hip over the sink.

“ _Good. I'm glad._ ” Hunith's voice sounded so soft Merlin had to cast his eyes down, ashamed of his own happiness. “ _Well, I've got to go. Have fun, alright?_ ”

“You too!” Merlin hung up, looking up again. He couldn't help the joy from showing on his features. “She told us to have fun!”

“Oh...” Arthur blinked, as if waking up from a trance. “Good.”

Merlin's smile wavered before that answer and then died out when he glanced to his own reflexion on the mirror. “Shit,” Merlin swallowed dry, straightening up his spine. He had completely forgotten about the makeup. “Shit!” Merlin turned his back on Arthur, feeling his cheeks heating up.

“Merlin,” Arthur stepped closer to him, but Merlin avoided his look.

“You didn't like it, did you?” Merlin looked around, searching for his remover. “I can wash if off in a moment, just–”

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur said, flipping him around and holding his face in place when Merlin tried to skive off to the side. “Look at me.”

Breathing heavily, Merlin faced Arthur's stare, even though fearfully. “I  overdid it, didn't I?” he groaned when Arthur's silence stretched out, his eyes switching from Merlin's eyes and his lips. “You can say it.”

It was Arthur's turn to swallow audibly, letting go of Merlin's chin and sliding his hands down his arms while assessing him as a whole. “Christ, Merlin. You're–” he grunted something unintelligible before kissing Merlin wantonly, pressing him into the sink.

Caught off guard, Merlin had to catch himself on his hands not to fall back, such the force with which Arthur had lashed on him. He tasted his own gloss on Arthur's mouth as he sucked his lips. Merlin moaned when Arthur thrust his tongue inside his mouth and sucked at it avidly, his whole body responding immediately when Arthur groped his buttocks.

Merlin yelped in surprise when Arthur lifted him up, making him seat on top of the sink's cold stone, releasing his lips for a moment to unbutton his jeans and stroked his quickly-filling cock. Merlin reached for Arthur's belt and mirrored his actions, they both breathing into each other's mouth.

“You liked it, then?” Merlin asked, still struggling to believe it.

“Did I like it?” Arthur pushed himself into Merlin's hand, his hard and thick cock twitching in interest.

Arthur fitted himself between Merlin's legs and they resumed snogging and groping each other.

“Wanna suck you so bad,” Merlin stated into Arthur's lips, scratching his nails lightly bellow his abs while still stroking him lazily, causing him to grunt in return. “Can I suck you?”

“Yes, Merlin, yes.” Arthur stepped backwards when Merlin jumped on his feet and allowed him to maneuver him, flipping them around and pushing his back into the sink.

Merlin caught his own reflexion on the mirror and tutted. “Honestly, Arthur... you ruined my makeup.” He rummaged through his bag and fetched his gloss, applying it again under Arthur's close scrutiny.

Arthur was slack jawed, his lips glistening with the remanent of Merlin's gloss, now spread all around his mouth. “Fuck,” Arthur said under his breath and Merlin watched from the corner of his eye when his cock twitched as if by it's own will.

“All set,” Merlin stated, putting the gloss away before kneeling in front of Arthur, pulling his pants down to the middle of his thighs. He gripped his erection then, fondling his testicles.

Merlin nuzzled at Arthur's groin, breathing in his smell and allowed his penis to touch his cheek lightly, leaving a trail of pre-come over his skin. Merlin heard Arthur cursing as he licked alongside his shaft, careful not to ruin his makeup again. When he reached his glans, Merlin wrapped his lips around it, looking up in time to see Arthur gasp, his eyes set on Merlin's mouth. His own neglected cock jerked at the sight, hanging heavily between his unzipped trousers.

Merlin adored Arthur's penis and loved sucking it; watching him come apart under his ministrations made him feel all mighty and powerful, in a way. Merlin licked the underside of Arthur's cock again before stuffing his mouth with it, bobbing his head, taking him deeper at each stroke, relaxing his tongue and allowing it to flatten around his shaft like a velvet rug.

Arthur panted and threw his head back for a moment before looking down on him again. “So good, Merlin,” Arthur gripped the sink borders tighter, his knuckled whitening up. “So gorgeous.”

Merlin hummed in delight and took him deeper still. He had been using his toothbrush to practice control over his gagging reflex, but stilled for a moment when Arthur's dick touched the back of his throat, breathing around it to make sure he wasn't gagging before moving again. Arthur cursed and grabbed fistfuls of his hair, moving against him carefully, at first, then more instinctively.

Merlin kept one hand cupping Arthur's testicles and circling around his shaft and stuck the other between his own pants, touching himself while watching Arthur's every reaction. He felt his balls tightening up under his palm and let him speed up until he felt Arthur was coming, moving back just enough to stop his cum splashes with his tongue, allowing them to add to his saliva while still working him though his orgasm with light strokes. When Arthur let go of his hair, Merlin swallowed the bitter, hot liquid and licked him clean, never stopping to jerk himself off. He touched his forehead on Arthur's thigh then, careful to point his cock between his spread legs when he came, painting the tiles with his own spent.

When he looked up, Arthur was still fixing him attentively. “Come here, Merlin,” he called and Merlin struggled to hold his legs still when he got on his feet. His knees, his scalp and his throat were sore, but he felt thoroughly pleased when Arthur hugged him, kissing him lazily. “Listen to me, now,” Arthur said, picking up the lip gloss and shaking it in front of Merlin. “You're forbidden to wear it outside my bedroom.”

Merlin jerked his head back. “What? Why?”

“Because I don't want anyone staring at this gorgeous mouth of yours and having naughty thoughts.”

“Oh, who's being stupid now?” Rolling his eyes, Merlin took the gloss from his hand, looking over the mirror. “You messed it all up again, see? I'll have to do it all over.”

.M.

Arthur stepped out of the bathroom, leaving Merlin to finish getting ready – he insisted Arthur had wrecked his hair too –, even though grudgingly. He climbed down the stairs just when Gwaine was preparing to step up.

“Hey!” Gwaine raised the beer he had in hand in a toast. “I was beginning to wonder if you wanted us to leave just so you had some privacy.” He threw his hair back, gulping straight from the beer bottle. He was wearing pleather trousers and a t-shirt reading 'FREE PROTEIN SHAKE', with an arrow pointing downwards.

“Is the taxi here yet?” Arthur asked, ignoring the question and walking straight to the kitchen. Percy had the living room TV on and his legs stretched on top of the coffee table. “Oh, and please, make yourselves at home,” he said, snarky.

“Cheers!” Percy lifted his own beer bottle, unfazed by his works. He was wearing jeans and a see-through black tank top.

Grumbling under his breath, Arthur fetched himself a beer too. The intercom buzzed again and Arthur answered it, asking the taxi driver to wait a moment.

“So...” Gwaine flopped himself on a tool by the counter, facing Arthur, “have you let Merlin fuck you already?”

Arthur aspirated some of the beer and it nearly came out though his nose, which left his airway burning while he coughed loudly.

“Gwaine, try not to kill our host, will you?” came Percy's voice from the living room.

“Oh, he's tougher than he looks,” Gwaine shrugged. “He wouldn't have lived this long if he weren't.”

“Are you touched in the head?” Arthur asked as soon as he stopped coughing.

“Does it sound like a 'no' to you too, Percy?” Gwaine asked.

“I think it sounds more like a 'no fucking way',” Percy answered and Gwaine tut-tutted.

Arthur put his beer over the balcony and checked on his shirt, but found no beer stains.

“You should, you know,” Gwaine continued, nonplussed.

“Should what?” Arthur snapped.

“Let him fuck your ass, of course!”

“Look, not that that's any of your business, but he told me himself he's a bottom.”

“Pfff!” Gwaine dismissed it with a hand flip. “Princess, he was a virgin only a couple of weeks ago! How can he know it for sure if he hadn't tried it yet?”

Arthur was about to object when he caught movement upstairs by the corner of his eyes and looked up to see Merlin cheerfully coming down. He had his hair styled up with hairspray once again in that so-called casual messy way, his lips red and shiny with lip gloss and his eyes more outlined than just a couple of minutes before. His mind provided him with a flashing memory of Merlin kneeling between his legs, staring him right back with his blue eyes outlined with black and his lips twinkling in the bathroom light, swallowing his dick nearly whole–

Arthur was pulled back from it by a catcall. At his side, Gwaine stood up and watched while Merlin climbed down the last few steps. “I was gonna ask you what took you so long, but...” Gwaine assessed him from head to toe, “the wait was totally worth it.”

Arthur closed his hands in fists, wandering if he could call it all off without Merlin hating him as a result. He was sure he would regret sooner or latter having yielded to that stupid double date idea, but he was beginning to wonder if it wasn't going to turn out even worse than he had anticipated.

“Huh... Nice outfit,” Merlin said to Gwaine, shyly shoving his hands on his back pockets.

“Likewise.” Gwaine walked up to Merlin. “Now I can see why Princess' mouth's all shiny.”

“Fuck,” Arthur cursed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Gwaine leaned over Merlin to sniff on him and hummed. “You smell like strawberries. I wonder if you taste like it too.”

“Gwaine!” Arthur snarled, ready to jump on him in case things got out of control. “Percy, can you keep your boyfriend in check, please?”

Percy sighed and turned the TV off, stepping closer to them. Merlin had shoved Gwaine to the side, but nearly popped his eyes when he looked at Percy – at his muscled arms and the six pack the tank top did nothing to hide, to be specific – and Arthur grunted, struggling to keep himself from face-palming.

“How about I fetch you a beer, Merlin?” Arthur asked instead, trying to disguise his own aggravation and failing spectacularly.

“Oh, no, thanks,” Merlin averted his eyes, looking down and rubbing his lips to smear the gloss, making them glisten all the more.

“Let's get going, then,” Arthur called and they left.

Gwaine attempted to sit down beside Merlin in the seven seaters cab, but Arthur shooed him right away. Gwaine told the address to the taxi driver.

“Oh, so now you know the fucking address, do you?” Arthur asked, cuffing Gwaine in the back of his head.

Arthur kept his arm around Merlin's waist and the boy molded himself to his side like a contented puppy. Arthur took a deep breath then, trying to calm himself down. He didn't pay that much attention to Gwaine's rambling as he described the nightclub and allowed himself to immerse in his own thoughts, fears and anxieties.

Arthur had dresses casually with jeans and and “V” neck shirt, like he always dressed up to go out. As he remembered Merlin's compliment on Gwaine's outfit and the lingering look he kept on Percy's top, he wondered if Merlin wasn't disappointed for Arthur having dressed himself so... heterosexually. He hadn't given it much thought, actually, while getting ready. His shirt fitted his body comfortably, but maybe he should have opted for something more tight or maybe something that shaped his body more nicely; something shiny, perhaps; or a colorful assessory. Arthur went through his wardrobe in his mind, but he couldn't think of anything fitting for the occasion and that made his mood sink lower.

“–and I heard Princess' been pretty selfish with you, Merlin,” Gwaine's voice broke into his thoughts, making Arthur tense up.

“Gwaine,” Arthur said in a warning tone, but Merlin's curiosity was already picked up.

“Selfish?” the boy asked, lifting his head off Arthur's shoulder to look between the two of them. “How so?”

“You know what I mean,” Gwaine went on. “He's refusing to let you experience things from his point of view; to reverse the roles in bed, you know,” he clarified before Merlin's confused look.

“Oh!” Merlin's eyes widened and, even in the semidarkness of the car, Arthur could tell he was blushing. “Oh, well... Er...”

“Don't worry, Merlin,” Gwaine said. “If he doesn't want to give in, worse for him. Percy and I can help you out with that–”

“Leave me out of it, Gwaine,” Percy intervened before Arthur recovered from the sheer shock. “I rather keep my head on top of my neck, thank you very much.”

“Why, you're always such a buzz-kill, Perce!” Gwaine whined. “Alright, so Percy's out of the equation, but I'm one hundred percent in!”

“Percy,” Arthur said, refusing to address Gwaine for the time being. “You said you'd make him behave himself!”

“You think this is him misbehaving?” Percy raised his eyebrows. He and Gwaine were sitting opposed to them, with their backs to the driver. “You haven't seen it yet, believe me.”

“Okay, I take it back,” Gwaine smiled, turning to face Percy. “You're not _always_ such a buzz-kill.”

Percy smirked and they started snogging right there. Arthur rolled his eyes, but met Merlin's uncertain eyes then.

“You know I don't mind it, right?” Merlin assured him. “That you don't like the idea of... you know...”

“Forget it, babe,” Arthur cupped Merlin's chin. “Just promise me you're going to have fun tonight.”

Merlin's face split up in a smile so wide his eyes nearly closed entirely to make room for it. “We have a deal,” Merlin said and met Arthur halfway to a soft kiss.

Gwaine was so fucking wrong, the lip gloss tasted nothing of strawberries like the scent suggested; it had a synthetic flavor, but not in an unpleasant way.

“Oh, _that's_ what I'm talking about!” Gwaine applauded. “Much better than watching porn.”

“Shut up, Gwaine,” Arthur said, backing up, but the better part of his anger had melted away with that single kiss.

“Oh, don't stop on account of me! I promise I won't send the videos online if you keep going.”

“Oh, excuse me, you have a bit of–” Merlin touched the corner of Arthur's mouth, but Arthur held him by the wrist before he could clean the gloss off his lips.

“Leave it.”

Merlin smiled. “Alright, let me just fix it, then.” Merlin run the pad of his thumb over the outline of Arthur's mouth to remove the excess of it, then wiped his thumb on his shirt. “There you go.” He did the same to his own mouth then, cleaning the corners and rubbing his lips together. Arthur never though he could get aroused on something so simple, yet his cock twitched in his pants just by witnessing it.

When they climbed out of the car in front of the nightclub, Gwaine friendly shook hands with the security guy and they got in straight away, without having to wait on the line. On the inside, the place wasn't too different from any other nightclub Arthur had been to: the same dark atmosphere brightened by the fickle colorful lights of the disco ball; the loud music making it nearly impossible to talk without shouting into each other's ears; the beat so strong it reverberated in his ribcage and all over his body. It was all pretty familiar except, maybe, for the fact that the colors were brighter and more vibrant and there was glitter everywhere he looked. The main difference, though, was the people. People from all gender, races and colors; with the most strange haircuts; pierced and tattooed all over; wearing mismatching clothes, sexy outfits or merely playful costumes.

It was hard, at first, not trying to guess people's gender, looking beyond clothes, hair and makeup, but it didn't take long for Arthur to understand it really didn't  matter in  here . People could be whatever they wished to be in  here and be certain that they'd be accepted and allowed to have fun without worrying about what others may or may not think.

Arthur chose to watch Merlin exclusively, then. The boy was absolutely dazzled. He started to move before he had finished the second dose of his drink – some colorful and decorated cocktail Arthur made sure to buy him, even if it was Gwaine who asked their drinks, since Arthur had no idea what they were made of –, sending some longing looks towards the dance floor, clearly dying to be there.

“The fuck are you waiting for, Princess?” Gwaine shoved his elbow on Arthur's ribs before pulling Percy to the dance floor, calling Merlin with a jerk of his head.

Merlin smiled and searched for Arthur's eyes, looking down on his glass then.

Arthur downed his drink – he had opted for a cocktail just like Merlin's after Gwaine warned him the whiskey there wasn't that good – and put his glass down on the bar counter, moving closer to Merlin from behind to talk into his ear. “May I have this dance?”

“You may,” Merlin said, looking at him from over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “But you better keep your hands to yourself, dude. You'll have to do better than buy me a couple of drinks to win me over.”

“Ooh, you're hard to get,” Arthur teased, darting his tongue on the shell of his ear just slightly. “You're on.” Arthur grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

Merlin dragged his feet, though, looking apprehensive, all the sudden. “Er, Arthur, I... I think you should know I've never... Well, I'm not a good dancer.”

“Nonsense,” Arthur tugged at his arm, guiding him to some place far away from Percy and Gwaine.

Merlin started to move timidly at first, watching people around them.

“Merlin,” Arthur held Merlin's face close to his own, “just let go already. No one's paying any attention to you. Besides me, of course,” he pecked Merlin on the lips and slid his hands down his sides until he rested them on his hipbones, guiding him.

“Have you come here before?” Merlin asked close to Arthur's ear.

Arthur shook his head. “No.”

“Any other gay nightclubs, then?”

“No,” Arthur said. “First time. You?”

“Me too. It's my first time in any kind of nightclub, to be honest,” Merlin admitted, his eyes widened with excitement. “I'm loving it!” he stated, although Arthur had already guesses as much, taking in his body language.

Merlin let Arthur lead the dance for some time before loosening up. Arthur smirked as he watched him dance, keeping him as close as possible  to discourage anyone daring to move closer to them. And move they did. Arthur sent a warning glare towards a muscular, tall man with a cowboy hat, placing himself between him and Merlin, frustrating all of his attempts to dance with the boy. Merlin didn't seem to notice any of that, having fun on his own, now totally uninhibited.

Arthur was mesmerized every time Merlin raised his arms, causing his shirt to move upwards and show off a tantalizing patch of skin of his stomach, or merely by watching his legs, which looked longer still in that form-fitting trouser and black boots.

It didn't take long for Gwaine and Percy to join them and there was nothing Arthur could do to stop Gwaine from stepping closer, fitting his back into Merlin's front, making sinuous moves with his hips. Merlin laughed at that, finding it amusing. Arthur searched for an ally in Percy, but he just laughed too, placing himself behind Merlin, sandwiching him.

Arthur huffed in outrage, pulling Merlin from between them and guiding him towards the bar with the excuse of getting him some water. Merlin agreed to dink a couple of gulps of water, but asked for another cocktail next and then pulled Arthur back to the dance floor, managing all that without caring to stop moving for a second.

“This is so good!” Merlin said, looping his arms around Arthur's neck and melting into Arthur's body while they rubbed against each other in what could easily count as foreplay rather than dancing.

Arthur kissed Merlin's neck and the boy laughed, tilting his head back.

“That's quite a show you two are giving!” Arthur heard Gwaine's voice coming from near close, but didn't stop what he was doing to pay him any mind. He felt another's arms joining Merlin's around his neck and realized Gwaine had his face stuck at Merlin's other side, fitting him from behind.

Arthur was about to shove him off when he looked at Merlin's face and saw pure ecstasy there. He had his eyes closed and was biting his lower lip, now completely cleared of gloss. Arthur snogged him, incapable of resisting and Merlin moaned into his mouth. Arthur could feel Merlin's erection poking him on the hip and grunted in response, his own cock now painfully hard. He slid his hands down Merlin's nape and found Gwaine's neck there.

Cursing, Arthur jerked away, startled. He run his hands through his hands and hair. “I need a drink,” he said as Merlin tried to regain his balance, since Gwaine had backed away too.

“Percy's at the bar,” Gwaine said, untroubled, and then looked at Merlin. “I believe you owe me a dance, Merlin.”

Merlin was flushed and panting, but he adjusted himself in his pants and nodded. Arthur was about to object when Merlin turned to face him, kissing him fiercely.

“It's alright,” Merlin assured him, looking him in the eye. “It's just a dance, okay?”

Slightly light-headed, Arthur watched Merlin turn back at Gwaine, smiling delightedly while mimicking his moves.

Shaking his had to himself, Arthur turned his back on them and made his way back to the bar. He found Percy sitting on one of the stools, gulping a beer and looking straight at him with a raised eyebrow.

“A double shot of whiskey, please,” Arthur asked, joining him. His erection had subsided already, the arousal replaced by annoyance. Arthur nearly bottomed up his drink, pulling a face at the foul taste. When he looked up, he found Percy's amused face. “What?” he asked, crossed.

“Nothing,” Percy shrugged, looking back at the dance floor.

Arthur was reluctant to follow his gaze, but couldn't help wanting to see what was going on there. It didn't take long for him to spot Gwaine and Merlin shouting at each other over the music and laughing as they danced. They weren't indecent close to each other like before, but Arthur found himself closing his fists into tight balls nonetheless.

He turned to face his friend again, frowning. “Seriously, tough, Percy, how can you fucking stand it?”

Percy straightened up on his seat, staring back at him with dignity. “I like him, Arthur,” he said, simply.

“But don't you– How can you–” Arthur couldn't even put into words what he felt, that blinding rage, that urge to go there, pull Merlin into himself and snarl at anyone who dared to get too close like a rabid animal.

“You know what?” Percy snapped, suddenly angry. “I'm done with everybody asking me why I'm with him. I just. Like. Him.”

Arthur blinked, caught off guard by the outburst. He sighed then, rubbing at his own face, trying to pull himself back together. “I'm sorry.”

“You think I don't get jealous of him?” Percy went on gravely. “Of course I do. But I wouldn't have signed on to this if I didn't know how to keep myself in check, would I? Look at them!” Percy pointed to the dance floor. “They're just having fun, Arthur. How could I deny it to Gwaine?”

Arthur scowled further, but part of his anger was replaced by frustration. Percy was right, of course, but Arthur simply didn't know how to deal with that the way Percy did. He simply couldn't.

Percy sighed and put his bottle on the balcony. “Come on,” he called, already moving away.

Arthur finished his whiskey with a scowl and followed him.

Percy fitted himself between Merlin and Gwaine and held his boyfriend by the waist. Laughing, Gwaine circled both arms and legs around him.

Merlin was smiling as he observed them until he noticed Arthur approaching him. “Hello, handsome,” Merlin put his hands on his shoulders. “I missed youmphh–” the rest of his sentence was muffled by Arthur's mouth and tongue on him. Merlin hummed and relaxed into Arthur's body once more like a second skin.

They danced for what felt like hours. At some point, Percy and Gwaine disappeared through a dark corner of the room where people usually went in pairs and Arthur felt tempted to carry Merlin there too, but the boy seemed to be enjoying the dance floor so much Arthur didn't dare to.

Arthur dragged Merlin to the bar after some time, making him drink some more water. When Percy and Gwaine reappeared, Merlin asked them where the toilet was and Percy offered to show him the way.

As soon as the both of them left, Arthur turned to Gwaine, firmly grabbing his arm. “Have you given Merlin something?”

“What?” Gwaine looked genuinely confuse. “No, of course not! I gave you my word, didn't I?”

“You also gave you your word you'd behave yourself,” Arthur retorted between his teeth, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Gwaine threw his hair over his shoulder and signaled for the bartender to get him a  _Sex on the beach_ _._ “Relax, Arthur. He’s just enjoying himself.”

Arthur asked for a cocktail for himself, taking Gwaine’s words for the truth. He could be a reckless dick when he wanted to, but he was no liar.

“Hey, if you want to take the edge off, if you know what I mean,” Gwaine said with a nasty smile, “there’s this place at the back. You and Merlin wouldn’t be completely on your own, but no one would bother you. Unless you want them to, of course.”

“No, thanks,” Arthur dismissed the offer right away. A much as he was desperate to push Merlin onto some surface, be it horizontal or vertical, he wasn’t into doing it with an audience and, now that he wasn’t thinking with his dick, the idea wasn’t that appealing anymore.

Gwaine shook his head, downing his drink and getting on his feet when he saw Merlin nearing them. “I think I deserve a second round, don’t I?” Gwaine held Merlin by the wrist and turned him around with a swift move, dragging him to the dance floor before he could utter anything besides “Be right back!” at Arthur, his eyes still shining with sheer excitement.

Arthur grumbled to himself and declined Percy’s invitation to join then, enjoying his cocktail unhurriedly while watching the three of them dancing together and trying not to look so sour as he felt. The worst part was that Arthur knew he wasn’t being fair to Gwaine. The truth was he was irritated at himself for not having realized before how much Merlin missed partying. Of course Merlin liked to go out to dance instead of being locked inside the house, playing video games. He had just come of age, for God’s sake! If it wasn’t for Arthur, he’d probably be beginning to find out what it was to go to nightclubs, pull an all-nighter, drink himself to oblivion…

How could he have been so blind?

“Pendragon?” Arthur heard someone calling and his blood went instantly cold as he turned to face the newcomer.

Of all people Arthur could meet there, why did it have to be him?

“Cenred,” Arthur said, taking another sip of his drink so as to buy some time to assess the situation he was in.

Cenred had his hair pulled up in a man bun, the firsts buttons of his shirt open and a silver chain hanging around his neck, disappearing into the opened collar. For a moment, Arthur nearly panicked, thinking how long he had been there, but he told himself he would soon find out if the man had witnessed something incriminating. Arthur allowed to be measured back, gripping his glass more tightly when a lazy smirk took Cenred’s petty features.

“What a surprise meeting you here, Pendragon,” Cenred said at last, straightening up his back against the balcony, looking completely at ease.

“I could say the same,” Arthur said, masking any sign of apprehensiveness from his own voice.

“Well, what can I say?” Cenred took a look around. “I’m tired of the same dull places, the same boring people. I thought it was about time for a change of scenery.”

“Of course,” Arthur said, realizing he was also drinking a blue cocktail just like Arthur’s. He wondered then if it was the first time Cenred went to that nightclub, like himself, or if he had already been there enough times to find his own favorite cocktail. After all, the taste for good whiskey was the only thing they both had in common.

“How about you? What brings you here?” Cenred prodded, acting indifference.

“I’m with some friends,” Arthur waved to the general direction of the dance floor and Cenred followed his movement, seeming curious.

Arthur knew it wouldn’t take long for the man to recognize them, in case he hadn’t been lurking before, spying on them. He only hoped Cenred wouldn’t recognize  _all_ of them.

“Oh, I see…” Cenred said and, by the disappointment showing on his voice, Arthur knew for sure he hadn’t acknowledged Merlin among them, dancing between Gwaine and Percy once again, his face turned to the opposite side.

Arthur breathed out, relieved, knowing that also meant Cenred hadn't witnessed anything that happened before. That was no guarantee whatsoever that everything would be fine, but there was still hope, at the very least.

“Well, _they_ seem to be having fun,” Cenred observed and then gazed at Arthur in a way that clearly meant that wasn't his case.

Arthur shrugged, keeping his indifferent pose as he swung the content of his glass, spinning in his seat so that he was facing the bar and hoping Cenred would do the same. “What can I say?” he mimicked the man’s words. “We were also in need of a change of scenery. But the truth is there will always be stingy and jealous people everywhere you go.”

Arthur waited for Cenred's retort, but it never came and he soon realized Cenred hadn't taken the bait and probably never would.

“Well well, well,” the man said and Arthur gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the next words to come. “Is that Emrys over there, by any chance?” Cenred had a predator smile on his lips when their eyes met. “As in your _intern_ Emrys?”

“Yes,” Arthur stared right back at him in his best intimidating stance. “Why? Any problems with that?”

“None, absolutely!” Cenred held his stare as he sipped at his cocktail. “He looks like he belongs here, actually. Quite at ease, I'd say. I simply didn't know the both of you were so... close.”

“Not that this is any of your business, but he often goes out for a drink with us and the rest of the guys. Besides, he and Gwaine are close friends,” Arthur added in a last minute decision. He knew he was being coward – and, in a certain way, he was frustrated with himself for not being able to just admit Merlin was his boyfriend to his face –, but he also knew Cenred too well and the possibility of him finding out about their relationship was just unfathomable.

“I see...” Cenred curled his upper lip skeptically, shifting his attention back to the dance floor. “Oh, is Irving used to kissing his friends on their mouths, too?”

Arthur's heart skipped a beat as he followed the man's line of sight as slowly as he could, careful not to give him any reason to suspect anything. When he found Gwaine snogging  _Percy_ , though, he relaxed out of relief.

He noticed Cenred was watching him closely, categorizing his every reaction.

“You know what?” Arthur abandoned his unfinished drink in the balcony and straightened his spine. “The night was really great until a couple of minutes ago, but–”

“Why, leaving so soon, Pendragon!” Cenred interrupted him, his smirk more unpleasant by the second. “Aren't you even allowing me to buy you a drink? I'd love to hear more about your _friends_. You seem pretty _attached_ to them. I mean, I noticed it before by the way you nearly dragged Emrys out of my office, last time. I remember wondering to myself how efficient Emrys must be if you couldn't let go of him even fore a mere week, but this?” he pointed to the dance floor. “This gives me a clear idea of exactly how _good_ Emrys must be in performing his duties.”

“Cenred...” Arthur warned between gritted teeth, his hands curled in tight fists.

Cenred simply shook his head without taking his eyes off of the dance floor. “Just look at him!” he bit his lower lip. “I'd probably do the same, if I were in your shoes, Pendragon.” He squinted then, dramatically raising one hand to his chin. “I just wonder what your dad would have to say about that.”

“About what?” Arthur had to make an enormous effort to sound unperturbed. “About you seeing me in a gay nightclub, having a good time with my friends? I can't see why that could concern him in any way. But tell me, Cenred, what would _your_ father say about that?” he asked and watched Cenred's smirk falter. Arthur allowed himself to celebrate that small victory for a moment. “After all, you know you'd have to admit first that you were here, don't you?”

Cenred snorted. “Unlike you, Pendragon, I'm unaccompanied, if you hadn't noticed it yet.”

“Which only proves _nobody_ can put up with you, but you probably already knew that, right?” Exulting, Arthur saw Cenred's lips thin, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Now, if you'll excuse me.”

Before Arthur could step away, though, Merlin stormed into his personal space like a missile, leaning into the balcony and chugging his drink with a jerk of his head. “Phew! God, I was thirsty!” Merlin said and then turned his whole body towards Arthur, who's eyes widened.

Arthur knew exactly what was about to happen and took a step backwards, away from the boy, before it was too late.

Gwaine popped up precisely then, flipping Merlin towards himself somewhat brusquely. “Hey, cutie, take it easy!” He brought an utterly confused Merlin to an awkward hug, looking at Arthur over his shoulder with a forced smile. “I'm sorry about that, Arthur. Merlin's a little high.” He let go of Merlin and turned at Cenred then. “Hey, Cenred! Fancy meeting you here!”

Arthur watched when Merlin's eyes nearly popped out of it's sockets. He hadn't been intent on Cenred's reaction during all that, too worried about inhibiting any proximity from Merlin, but now Cenred had that disgusting smile on his face again.

“Irving. Emrys.” Cenred nodded his acknowledgment. “It's always a pleasure. Oh, Armstrong, you too,” his gaze lingered over Percy's bulky muscles as he crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't seem shaken by his threatening pose. “Pendragon and I were talking about you guys just now. Especially you, Emrys.” He raised his glass in a toast, his eyes traveling down Merlin's body now, making Arthur's blood boil. “He was about to tell me your specialties and I must confess I was quite curious to know what is it that you do to please such a demanding person as him.”

“You son of a–” Arthur was about to set upon Cenred, but Percy's hand landed heavily on his shoulder, keeping him firm in place.

“I think it's time for us to leave,” Percy said.

“I couldn't agree more!” Gwaine said readily. “Merlin here's already sure to have a nasty hangover tomorrow as it is, we better not make things worst.”

“Come on, Arthur...” Percy insisted, squeezing Arthur's shoulder nearly painfully.

Reluctantly, Arthur averted his eyes from Cenred's challenging stare, allowing to be guided away by his friends.

He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when Cenred spoke again. “Hey, Emrys?”

“Don't look back, don't look back, don't–” Gwaine was grumbling by his side, but it was too late already. Merlin had stopped to look over his shoulder and the others did the same. “Dammit.”

“Why don't you stop by my office next week for a... chat. I promise I won't take much of your time. Half an hour's quite enou–”

The rest of Cenred's sentence was interrupted by Arthur's fist connecting with his mouth, followed by another punch to his nose and then another to his chin. Cenred reacted then, blocking him with an arm and hitting him with the other. Before Arthur could get another hit, though, he was dragged away at the same time Cenred was contained by some other guy.

Arthur heard known voices, but couldn't figure out what they were saying, deafened by the rush of blood in his ears while still looking over his shoulder at Cenred's scornful face, whose nose was starting to bleed. Arthur tasted blood on his mouth, but it was someone's smooth hands that finally brought him back to present time.

“Arthur, look at me,” Merlin asked and Arthur stared at him, his breathing still ragged. Merlin had his blue eyes widened, his brow furrowed with concern as he examined every tiny bit of his face. Arthur hissed when his fingers touched his spit lip. “Sorry!” Merlin said, taking a step back.

Arthur freed himself from Percy's hold as they finally got out of the nightclub, taking in the cool night air and having goosebumps after the stale air inside. Percy had a somber expression on his face as he moved away and Gwaine was talking to a grumpy-looking security guard, assuring him they were on their way out. Arthur avoided looking at Merlin as they climbed in the taxi, staring at the traffic outside the car window while still trying to ease his heartbeat.

“What the fuck's gotten into you, Arthur?” Gwaine asked, banging the door when he joined them in the cab. “I've known those guys for years! They'll probably put me on a blacklist now!”

Arthur ignored him. Percy said Arthur's address to the driver and they left i n a tense silence.

The last time he got into a fight was back in college, during a particularly frustrating football match. He couldn't recall exactly what the other guy had said to provoke him nor the fight in itself. All he remembered was the clear astonishment on his friends faces afterward. He couldn't blame them, though. He didn't know how to begin to explain what happened then, what got into him to react the way he did. He didn't believe himself to be a physically aggressive person. Quite the contrary; he didn't like violent sports and rather sorting things out in a civilized way, whenever it was possible, but he wasn't meek and mild either.

Arthur felt a touch to his hand and retracted instinctively at the painful feel of hot skin on his scraped hand. Merlin flinched away at once, but Arthur grabbed his hand, bringing him closer.

“I'm sorry,” Arthur mumbled into Merlin's soft hair and felt him relax into his arms.

Arthur looked up and saw Gwaine staring at him with a tense expression while Percy looked out the window. Gwaine nodded shortly and Arthur suddenly felt a wave of gratitude for his friends. He kissed the top of Merlin's head and closed his eyes.

.M.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warnings:** mention of drugs and physical violence.


	20. Part 2 - Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was translated by [pinkluv10](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkluv10/pseuds/pinkluv10/works), who also kindly volunteered to help us ( **Lexi** and me) with the next chapters, so hopefully updates will be quicker from now on!

**Chapter 19**

"He hasn’t got any proof," Gwaine was murmuring as he paced Arthur's room. "I doubt he’ll open his mouth."

"Stand still," Merlin instructed, holding Arthur's face in one hand as he put the antiseptic on his split lip.

Arthur hissed. "You said it wouldn’t hurt," he complained, and Merlin struggled to keep from showing how adorable he was when he pouted like that – even with a swollen, purplish lip.

"I lied," Merlin said and blew on the cut to dry the antiseptic. "Let me see your hand."

"It's fine." Arthur grimaced, but held out his hand to Merlin. "It’s not really hurt, it just stings a little."

Merlin ignored his protests, splashing the antiseptic on his reddish knuckles.

"Gwaine, will you sit down?" Arthur said, pressing the bridge of his nose with his free hand, "you're making me nervous."

"But he doesn’t have any proof, does he?" Gwaine asked as he sat down in one of the armchairs. "He probably said it all just to get to you."

"And successfully so," Percy remarked. He was sitting on the smaller couch and had a bag of potato chips in his hands – Merlin still didn’t know how he'd found them in Arthur's messy kitchen cupboard, and decided to decline when Percy offered him some, reminding him to check the expiration date instead.

"You shouldn’t have tried to defend my honor, you know." Merlin spoke, avoiding glaring at Arthur as he tentatively moved Arthur’s fingers to check for any serious injuries. "I've heard much worse things than that."

"Ouch!" Arthur complained, trying to pull his hand away as Merlin gripped his wrist tightly. "I wasn’t trying to defend your honor,  _Mer_ lin."

"I don’t think it's broken," Merlin stated, letting go of Arthur's hand and dropping onto the larger sofa beside him. Now that the adrenaline had left his body, Merlin was beginning to feel the exhaustion overwhelm him.

"He wouldn’t dare tell Uther anything," Gwaine continued, as if he had not been interrupted, and then looked at the others for confirmation. "Right?"

"Your father has no love for him, has he?" Percy turned to Arthur, "not after all that bullshit during your selection."

“What bullshit?” Merlin looked from one to the other, but Arthur avoided looking back at him. "What happened?"

"Cenred ran for the director's spot along with Arthur," Percy explained, as Gwaine seemed lost in thought, swinging his leg nervously. "He played as dirty as he could, spreading stories about Arthur and causing problems. He got through all the stages of the selection, but failed the psychological test, and let's just say he's a sore loser."

"Hmf..." Gwaine made a sound of disdain. "The psycho son of a bitch."

"Really?” Merlin asked, open-eyed. “What’s he still doing as a team manager, then?"

"My father knows his father," Arthur explained. "They served together in the army."

"Oh..." Merlin murmured.

Gwaine rose again to resume pacing. "He won’t tell Uther anything," he said. "Particularly because it’d certainly reach his father too. But I bet he’ll  still be lurking. I'm sure he's got a few supporters inside every team, and that Young from RH is certainly one of them. So is Anderson. He doesn’t strike me as a trustworthy fellow.”

Arthur sighed. "You only pick on Anderson because he's a stutterer," Arthur said, leaning forward. "I agree that Cenred won’t say anything to my father, but he may spread rumors to his supporters in the hope that they will somehow get to my father. There is no point in pondering who we can or can’t trust, we just need to be more careful in the future. No one else can know.”

Those words made Merlin flinch, remembering the way Arthur had withdrawn from him in the nightclub. Merlin was having so much fun until that moment but when Arthur pulled away it felt like a slap in the face. He knew it wasn’t his fault, especially after he realized there was all this history of animosity between him and Cenred, but he still couldn’t help but feeling hurt.

Yet it did shine a new light on the time Arthur had rescued Merlin from the Accounting room when the new system was deployed in the company. Merlin had been selfish to think that Arthur's heated reaction was only out of jealousy. It was clear that there was something much deeper to provoke such an intense reaction from Arthur.

"What is it?" Arthur asked when Gwaine sniggered.

"Nothing." Gwaine shrugged. "It's just that, the way you two’re discreet, you'll end up on Youtube."

"Gwaine, sit down or go away," Arthur snapped instead of responding, "I don’t care, as long as you  _stop pacing_ !"

Gwaine complained, but sat down next to Percy.

"But what if he makes a complaint about you attacking him?" Merlin asked worriedly. "You're the director of the company!"

"He's not directly subordinate to me," Arthur clarified. "Besides, we weren’t in the workplace."

"And he fought back." Gwaine pointed at Arthur's lip. "He can’t play the victim after that, can he?"

Merlin turned to Arthur when he realized what that all meant. "That's what you meant when you said you weren’t defending my honor, isn’t it?" he further stated that he asked. "You did it for yourself, too."

Arthur grunted, averting his eyes.

"And I probably would have, if he  hadn't ," Percy offered and glared at Gwaine.

"Me too," Gwaine admitted.

"And all that complaining about being blacklisted?" Arthur asked.

Gwaine shrugged. "It would’ve been fucking worth it." Gwaine took the bag of chips from Percy's hand. "Give it to me. You've already taken your free protein shake today."

Merlin giggled.

Arthur cursed, tossing a cushion at Gwaine. "Too much information!"

After they left, Merlin went up to take off his makeup. He and Arthur got in the way of each other as they got ready to go to sleep and bumped a few times as they shared the bathroom to brush their teeth. When the two brought their hand to the tap at the same time, Merlin chuckled nervously as he withdrew his hand and Arthur rolled his eyes, turning the handle.

Feeling a bit out of place, Merlin pulled on his pajama bottoms and slipped into bed, sighing. He felt the weariness in every muscle in his body, and his brain was frazzled. Arthur had urged Merlin to drink more water before bed, but Merlin felt as if he were already hung over, except that it was his whole body that hurt, not just his head, so there was no use.

Arthur switched off the light from the bathroom and joined him on the bed, also wearing only his pajama bottoms. He approached Merlin until he stood within inches of him, staring at him in the dimness of the room.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," Arthur whispered, reaching out his hand and caressing the nape of Merlin’s neck.

Merlin considered those words for a moment. He knew that Arthur wasn’t much given to apologizing for his mistakes. He could count on his fingers the times Arthur had done so openly, and that was the second time he had apologized that night. Merlin moved closer to Arthur, kissing the corner of his lips softly, being careful not to touch the bruise before he pressed his face to Arthur’s chest, pulling one leg over Arthur’s and stroking his calf with his big toe. Arthur held onto him immediately.

“You didn’t ruin it." Merlin tried to sound assuring, but the effect was hampered by a big yawn. "You told my mother and that's all that really matters to me right now."

Arthur murmured something unintelligible and stroked his hair and the back of his neck.

"Arthur?" Merlin called out.

"Hmm?"

Merlin wanted to thank him for taking him to the nightclub. He wanted to say that he had enjoyed himself, and that the fun far outweighed the way the night had ended. He wanted to say that he understood, that he could handle their relationship in secret, and Arthur didn’t need to worry about it. Instead he found himself saying something completely different.

"Would you tell your family if the situation were different?"

Arthur's hand froze on the back of Merlin’s neck for a moment before he moved, pulling away just enough to face him. "How different?"

Merlin gulped, staring at Arthur's chest, already sorry for what he had said. There was no going back now, though. "If I wasn’t your intern, would you tell your father and sister about me?" Arthur opened his mouth to answer something immediately, but Merlin cut him off before he could get started. "And, please...  _Please_ be honest. I’ll understand if you’re confused or scared or... or..."

Or embarrassed, Merlin thought, but didn’t say out loud. He heard his own heartbeat in the brief silence that followed and was about to ask Arthur to ignore and forget about it when he heard the answer.

"I think I'd tell Morgana," Arthur said firmly. "She barely knows you and yet probably likes you more than she likes me."

Merlin let out a nervous laugh. "Nonsense," he said, finally raising his eyes to face Arthur. "She loves you."

"She has a very peculiar way of demonstrating, then," Arthur teased, but something in his tone made Merlin know he didn’t believe his own words.

Merlin rested his head on Arthur's chest again, yearning and fearing the second part of the answer, and wondering if it would ever come.

"If you had no connection to the company," Arthur seemed to pick the words carefully. "I don’t think I'd have a problem. The most my father could do would be to stop inviting me to the rare family get-togethers, and I'd hardly miss it."

Merlin honestly doubted that this would be the only thing Uther could do, and also doubted how indifferent Arthur truly felt as he said that, but didn’t comment about it, letting Arthur continue.

"If you were an employee of the company, although my subordinate, my father would probably require you to go to another sector, but could not fire you without causing an uproar, as Morgana has worked very hard to make a safe and happy work environment for everyone, regardless of whom they choose to date." Arthur sighed. "There's always the possibility that he... makes it difficult for you to move up the ladder... Dammit.” Arthur pulled himself free of Merlin, lying on his belly and rubbing his eyes. "I don’t know what to expect from my father, honestly. I'm just trying to think of the worst-case scenario–"

"Arthur," Merlin interrupted, lifting his upper torso to face him, feeling his muscles protest in the effort. "That's not what I asked you to say. What I really want to know is if you would tell your father that you're dating another man. Would you present me as your boyfriend?"

Arthur let the air out of his lungs noisily, letting his arms fall on the mattress and shaking his head. "I don’t know," he ended up saying. "I honestly don’t know, I just know I can’t tell him now, Merlin." He propped himself up on one elbow, leveling their eyes. "You're very vulnerable as an intern, and I can’t risk making you pay for our choices. Do you understand?"

"I understand, but–" Merlin began, but Arthur didn’t seem to hear him.

"If it weren’t for that, I'd face the consequences, like it or not. You don’t deserve to be anyone's dirty little secret, Merlin, and I hate to make you go through it. Christ, I hated making you keep it from your own mother... I shouldn’t have done this to you, and you should never have had to subject yourself to it!"

"Hey, hey..." Merlin put a hand on his face. "I was the one who proposed it, remember? I chose not to tell her!"

It seemed like an eternity ago, but Merlin feared his mother would disapprove, back then. She still didn’t know Arthur too well. She might have thought that Arthur was taking advantage of their working relationship to influence Merlin in some way.

"I know, but I shouldn’t have agreed," Arthur insisted. "I should’ve insisted we told her. I knew you were suffering, and yet–"

"Arthur," Merlin called him again. "You know that in hindsight. We can’t guarantee she would’ve accepted us so well early on. She knows you now, and she likes you, that's what really matters to me."

"Oh, Merlin..." Arthur pulled him into a half-hug and Merlin let himself rest in his arms again. "I don’t deserve you," he heard Arthur murmuring and held even more firmly onto him.

Worst of all, Merlin still wasn’t sure Arthur wasn’t ashamed of him. Not only because Merlin was a man, but also because he was a boy just barely out of diapers, as Gwaine had said. Not that he was anxious to be formally introduced to Uther – on the rare occasions when they were in the company, usually at meetings Arthur attended, Uther did not even seem to notice his presence – but he and Morgana were Arthur's only family.

Merlin sighed, too tired for that line of thought. He thought it would be a long time before he  fell asleep, but with Arthur carding his fingers in Merlin’s hair, he crashed quickly.

.Merlin.

It was after ten o'clock when Arthur woke up, but he tried to creep across the floor lightly so Merlin could continue to sleep as he grabbed his clothes, closed the bathroom door and took a shower. When he finished, he left the room, closing the bedroom door carefully so he didn’t risk  waking Merlin up with the noise he would probably make rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for some advil or tylenol, and then checking to make sure they weren’t expired. His lip was throbbing, but not as much as his head was.

When he returned to the bedroom room to leave a bottle of water and a few pills on the bedside table for Merlin, Merlin didn’t seem to have moved a muscle at all. Arthur resisted the urge to touch his hair and left the room again.

A glance through the living room window made Arthur choose to drive to the nearest coffee shop instead of walk. He had stocked the refrigerator with eggs, bacon and sausages for Merlin, but he figured he would not be willing to cook that morning, so he bought some donuts, a cappuccino for Merlin, and a tea for himself to bring home.

Arthur then took advantage of the rest of the morning to set up his new laptop, which arrived at the end of last week. He placed it on the kitchen table next to the old one and started to backup his files and tidy up the settings by formatting it so it was identical to the old one. He was working on it until noon, when he decided to check in on Merlin again. He had drunk some of the water, but he hadn’t touched the medication. Merlin was curled up in the sheets and seemingly sleeping soundly again. Arthur cracked open in the curtains and sat down on the bed beside him.

"Hey, lazy," Arthur called out, unanswered. "Merlin?" He sing songed, touching his hair softly, to which Merlin sighed. "You should take the pills. You'll feel better."

Merlin grunted something unintelligible and turned his head to the other side. Arthur smiled and nodded, but gave up trying to wake him up, taking his Nintendo 3ds into the living room to play, when the TV proved ineffective to distract his thoughts about everything that had happened the night before.

At about two in the afternoon Arthur started to get worried. He had ordered a late lunch, and as soon as the food arrived, he went upstairs to check on Merlin again, expecting to see him showered. But he was still asleep, covering himself entirely with the sheets, his fringe clinging to his sweaty forehead, and Arthur felt heat radiating from him before he touched the flushed, sticky skin on his temple.

"Damnit, Merlin." Arthur put one knee on the bed, moving closer to pull out the sheet and uncover the upper part of his back. Merlin mumbled something and shrank, but Arthur would not let himself be dissuaded, this time, shaking him. "Merlin, wake up, or I'll pour cold water on you."

"What...?" Merlin murmured, still without opening his eyes, frowning. His voice was hoarse and severe from so much sleep.

"Merlin, you're drooling on my pillow," Arthur finally said, though the whole scene was more exciting than he'd like to admit. Seeing Merlin all sweaty, flushed and sly like that was causing his body to react shamelessly. Fortunately, Merlin was too groggy to notice his semi-erection.

"No I’m not." Merlin opened a crack in his eyes, raising his head a few inches before he dropped again with a moan. "It hurts."

"Where does it hurt?" Arthur frowned, now more concerned than excited.

"Throat," Merlin replied, his voice breaking.

Well, that explained why he hadn’t taken the pills. Arthur sighed, letting his head drop as he tried to go over the medicines he'd seen in his cupboard.

"What do you usually take for fever?"

"Oh... I don’t know?" Merlin sounded apologetic. "Anything, I'm not allergic to anything..."

"Okay, I'm calling your mother," Arthur declared, already getting up, ignoring Merlin's protests as he pulled the sheet. "In the meantime, you shower."

Arthur set the lunch in microwave to keep it from getting cold and called Hunith as he scoured his medicine drawer for anti-inflammatory drugs.

" _Arthur?_ " Hunith sounded apprehensive. " _Did something happen?_ "

"It's nothing, don’t worry," Arthur reassured her, even though he was internally freaking out. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but Merlin has a small fever and a sore throat. Should I take him to the Emergency room, or...?"

" _When did the fever start?_ " Hunith's voice seemed firmer and more practical.

"An hour or two ago, maybe." Arthur frowned. "I don’t understand, he was perfectly fine yesterday!"

_"He had a runny nose yesterday,_ " Hunith sighed. " _I was so worried about my trip that I didn’t pay attention to it, I should have started with the cold medication right away, but that's okay, here's what you're going to do..._ "

Arthur took a pen and jotted down the instructions on a restaurant flyer so as not to forget and thanked her, promising that he would call later to give new information. When he returned to the room, Merlin was sitting on the bed, trembling and apparently measuring the distance to the bathroom.

"Can I use your bathtub?" Merlin sounded hopeful.

"No, you're going to fall asleep in it. Come on, let's go to the shower." Arthur practically carried Merlin to the stall, threatening to shove him under the shower, clothes and all, in case he didn’t undress.

"It’s cold!" Merlin whimpered as he set his foot in the water.

"Stop being a wimp and get in!" Arthur continued to sound steady. "Am I going to have to wash you, too?"

Merlin mumbled something about rudeness and lack of consideration, but Arthur ignored him, returning to Merlin's suitcase and scouring it for some clean clothes. He found pajamas and underwear and went back to the bathroom to continue supervising, while urging Merlin to shower faster.

After he got into his clean pajamas, Merlin was expressly forbidden to go back to bed. Arthur made him go into the living room, and told him to sit on the couch as he put Merlin's cell phone on the coffee table and a mug of tea in his hand.

"It's not too hot, but take it slow," Arthur instructed. "I'll buy your medicine and I'll be right back. I want to see you awake when I get back, understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Merlin said gruffly, and sniffed. His voice was a little nasally.

Arthur was already turning his back on him when he thought better, taking some pillows and putting them around him to make him more comfortable. He put a hand to Merlin's face to check his temperature, feeling relieved to notice that he no longer felt so hot.

"Hey, Arthur?" Merlin caught his arm before he moved away, a hint of a smile on his face. "I'm not dying, you know? You don’t have to be so worried."

"I'm not worried, Merlin," Arthur returned sarcastically. "I'm just making sure you get better for Monday. Don’t think I'm going to let you skip work just because of a cold."

"Of course not." Merlin rolled his eyes, taking a sip of tea and grimacing as he swallowed. "You look awful, by the way," he said, looking at Arthur’s swollen lip.

"You're not much better." Arthur returned and kissed the corner of Merlin's mouth quickly before stepping away, ignoring the throbbing in his lip. "If you need anything, call me!"

Arthur  used the car ride to calm himself. Merlin was right, he had no reason to be so terrified. It was just a cold, after all! Hunith had not sounded so worried either, and she certainly would have told Arthur to take Merlin straight to the hospital if  she thought he couldn’t handle taking care of her son.

Still, Arthur was not accustomed to caring for anyone but himself. He hadn’t had a mother to teach him what to do in these situations. Uther used to call a doctor for a home visit whenever they got sick, when they were still too young to take care of themselves. Morgana used to make tea for Arthur every time he so much as sneezed and nagged him so much to drink liquids and take Vitamin C that Arthur did it more to silence her than anything else.

Arthur parked in front of Gaius' pharmacy and took a deep breath before entering. It had been a long time since he'd been there in person. Normally, he would order over the phone and Gaius would send some motorcyclist to deliver, but this time Arthur thought it best to go in person.

The store was different from the last time he had been there, as if it had been recently renovated. A bell rang announcing his entrance, and Gaius soon appeared, wearing a white coat over his clothes.

"Ah, Arthur," Gaius greeted, rather coolly. He looked older than Arthur remembered, his now totally gray hair cut short and the wrinkles piling up around his eyes, but his eyebrow was still as frightening as he remembered. "I was really wondering when you'd show up..."

"Gaius." Arthur nodded, approaching the counter somewhat hesitantly. "I need to..." he already had a full speech ready to explain the reason for his visit, but he stopped when Gaius placed a brown paper bag on the counter, pushing it toward him. "What’s that?"

"Hunith called me," Gaius offered in response.

"Ah..." Arthur exclaimed, frowning. "I guess that's all I'm going to need, then?" He pointed to the package.

"I wrote the instructions on the packaging," Gaius nodded. "And I took the liberty of adding some bags of ginger and lemon tea and a jar of honey. You can use honey to sweeten the tea and feed spoons of it to him for his throat."

"Right..." Arthur averted his eyes, unable to meet Gaius's harsh expression as he took out his wallet and handed him his credit card. "I believe that's all, then."

"Hunith already told me to put it on her account–" Gaius started, but Arthur interrupted him.

"I insist."

Gaius put on his reading glasses to operate the card machine, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, taking advantage of the few moments when he was not a victim of the man's intimidating stare.

"Here," Gaius returned the credit card to Arthur rather dryly. "Check back often."

Arthur blinked, stunned, when Gaius turned away from him on the pretext of fixing a shelf.

"Is there something wrong?" Arthur finally asked, though he feared the answer.

"Wrong?" Gaius asked, turning to face him heavily, resting his forearms on the counter. "You tell me, Arthur, is there something wrong? If my godson didn’t get sick, I wouldn’t even know he’s going to spending the week with his boyfriend!"

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated.

"Gaius, listen–"

"No you listen here, boy," Gaius interrupted, seeming to grow suddenly as he straightened his curved back.  “ Merlin’s a child! He’s never been romantically involved with someone before! Not even an innocent date back in second grade.I do not know what you did to convince Hunith that this was a good idea, but she does not know Uther like you or me. In fact, I hope you're not doing this just to get to your father. "

Arthur blinked, momentarily stunned by the man's words. "This has absolutely nothing to do with my father!" He defended himself at last, indignant. "I would never use Merlin like that!"

"I really hope not, because I'd hate to have to choose between the two of you, Merlin is my godson, after all."

Arthur could not help feeling annoyed by Gaius's mistrust, though he knew he was only looking out for Merlin. "Look, Gaius," he began again, struggling to stop keeping his voice calm and controlled. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but I really do care about Merlin. Actually, that's part of why we're trying to keep it a secret. I know my father won’t like the idea and I don’t want for Merlin to suffer the consequences."

Gaius was silent for a moment as he fumbled in his drawer. When he faced Arthur again, his expression was considerably softer.

"But he'll have to face the consequences one day or another, won’t he?" Gaius said, taking off his glasses. "If you really care as much about Merlin as you say you do, you should confront your father. I still think you should’ve thought of the consequences before you put him in this situation, but I don’t think it's fair to keep everything hidden that way. You’re just postponing the problem and you both know it's going to be worse if your father finds out from someone other than yourself, and don’t think for a moment that I don’t believe that Merlin can face what's ahead, but I’d rather he was not forced to. He’s already faced enough, having to learn to take care of himself and his mother from a very early age. "

"I know..." Arthur admitted, averting his eyes. "That's why I can’t risk him losing his internship because of me. I know he needs the money."

"He can get another internship." Gaius shrugged. "Or even get another job. He can help me here in the meantime. I can’t pay much, but if I know my godson, he’s already saving for some disaster."

Arthur let the air out of his lungs in frustration. He'd forgotten how Gaius had the annoying ability to say exactly what he needed to hear, rather than what he wanted. Arthur did not like the idea of Merlin being sent away from the company, but that excuse was no longer convincing anyone, not even to himself. The conversation he had with Merlin the night before had opened his eyes to that and now he couldn’t lie to himself.

"You're right," Arthur admitted. "I owe it to Merlin."

"And for yourself, Arthur," Gaius said, his face softening a little. "I'm not asking you to do anything rash, either. Just think about it."

Arthur nodded and took the bag from the counter. "Thank you for that."

" Arthur ," Gaius called as Arthur was already moving toward the door. He held out a small tube of ointment as if shaking a flag of truce. "Take this to put on your lip. It’ll help heal it."

Arthur allowed himself a small grateful smile.

.M.

Arthur came back with a bag of medicine and a bag filled with a container full of Chicken Soup – Merlin had no idea where he could’ve found it in the middle of Saturday afternoon. He wasn’t hungry, but a glance at Arthur was enough to know he would have to eat or be force fed. They had lunch in front of the TV and Arthur let Merlin lay his head on his lap after making sure he had taken all his pills and vitamin C plus a spoonful of honey. Merlin dozed on the couch for the rest of the afternoon, waking up a couple of times to go to the bathroom and drink more water or tea – which meant he would soon have to go to the bathroom again, but Arthur didn’t want to hear any complaints. He vaguely remembered Arthur checking his temperature a few times, his face concentrated.

Around seven in the evening, Merlin woke again, moaning as he sat on the couch. His body was sore, his nose clogged and his head throbbing, but his throat was a little better. His stomach felt better as well, and his stomach growled at the smell of the soup that Arthur warmed up in the microwave.

"Here." Arthur set the bowl of soup in front of Merlin and placed a hand on his forehead again. "How’re you feeling?"

Arthur was wearing a t-shirt and his shorts, which probably meant he had been working out.

"Better," Merlin admitted, blowing his nose before accepting the soup.

Merlin put a cushion in his lap took a napkin from Arthur, covering the cushion before placing the bowl on his clad lap, avoiding Arthur's eyes. He must have looked horrible, with his hair tangled and face wrinkled, his eyes red and forehead sweaty.

"You’re not gonna eat?" Arthur asked, sitting down beside him.

"Err... Did you forget the spoon?"

"Oh..." Arthur seemed to consider for a moment. "It's just soup. You may as well drink straight from the bowl, it’s not too hot, I didn’t want to hurt your throat. It's best to eat it when it’s only warm."

Merlin sighed and took a small swallow, then a larger one, with a moan of approval. He had not tasted anything the first time he had eaten. Merlin looked up as Arthur laughed softly. His lip was still slightly swollen and the scab that had formed on the cut was dark, in contrast to the whiteness of his skin.

"What is it?" Merlin arched an eyebrow.

"You have soup here." Arthur wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand, then wiped it on the napkin. "Or dry snot, I don’t know which."

"Funny."

Arthur picked up his laptop from the coffee table and settled himself on the couch, stretching his legs and opening it in his lap. "You can turn on the TV if you want," he said, pointing to the remote, which was within Merlin's reach, but Merlin's head was buzzing and the last thing he wanted was more noise.

"Is it new?"

"What?" Arthur looked up.

"Your laptop?" Merlin nodded towards the aforementioned device. "It looks fresh out of the box."

"Oh, yeah, I bought it this week." Arthur shrugged, turning his attention to the Facebook login screen. "Christ, I haven’t been on here for a while..."

"Well, that explains why you haven’t accepted me yet," Merlin mused. "I was starting to think you were ignoring my friend request."

"Do you have Facebook?" Arthur frowned. "I thought it was outdated. Isn’t it popular to be on Twitter, Tumblr and other things like that?"

"You have Twitter too," Merlin said, taking another generous sip of his soup, and Arthur sighed.

"Alright, I'm not the most active person on social networks, okay?"

"No, Arthur." Merlin shook his head. " _I'm_ not a very active person on social networks, you're a ghost, your last Facebook post was two years ago!"

Merlin had sifted through Arthur's Facebook page telling himself he was not investigating, that he was just curious about his past. Merlin had saved some of the older photos on his cell phone, from when Arthur was his age – he would never admit it, but he had masturbated sometimes looking at one in which Arthur was in his trunks and sunglasses, in what appeared to be the bow of a boat. The last photos that appeared, however, were publications of people who had marked him. It had been through one of them that Merlin had seen Mithian, since she was no longer Arthur's friend on Facebook. Elena was still among his contacts, though.

"I hate it, to tell you the truth," Arthur admitted. "I don’t know why I haven’t deleted my account yet."

Merlin prepared to ask him not to go through his whole profile right now in front of him, but Arthur was already opening another browser window and entering Twitter.

"Damn, I don’t remember the password," Arthur said after two attempts.

"It’s fine, you don’t need to hurry," Merlin assured him. "I was just teasing you, really."

But Arthur ignored him and redid his password, entering his followers page and searching for Merlin's name.

"Merlinspants?" Arthur turned to face him. "Oh, really?"

"I was going to go with merlinsbeard, but I had just read the last Harry Potter book," Merlin moaned, embarrassed. "I couldn’t resist, not after Hermione said it."

"Unbelievable." Arthur shook his head, but entered his profile and began to follow him. "Anything else? Youtube? Tumblr? Instagram? Snapchat?"

"Just Youtube," Merlin admitted, blowing his nose again before noticing that there was still a bite of soup in the bottom of the bowl. "Do you have a profile in all of those platforms?"

"Of course not," Arthur said, opening another window and entering YouTube. "By the way, if you want, you can have my old laptop."

Merlin accidentally drained some soup and had to wipe his mouth with his napkin.

"What?" Merlin asked, dumbfounded.

"My old laptop," Arthur continued, as if he had done nothing much. "I was thinking of donating it anyway, but you have priority. If you're interested, of course."

Merlin thought of his desk computer – the top right corner of the screen was whitish where it had hit the curtain rod; the keyboard fumbled on some keys; the boot up took so long that Merlin used to call him and go and take a shower so he wouldn’t get angry waiting; not to mention that it switched off whenever Merlin forgot to put the fan in front of the CPU because of a defect in the cooler – and tried to sound casual when responding.

"Sure, why not?"

Arthur stared up at him with an arched eyebrow before rising, then returning with an earlier version of his MacBook, and Merlin had to take some of the water Arthur had left within his reach not to choke on his own saliva.

"Is this your old laptop?" Merlin asked, just to clarify things.

"Yeah, why?"

"Arthur, you definitely need to look at the definition of that word in the dictionary."

Arthur rolled his eyes, shaking the notebook in front of Merlin. "Do you want it or not?"

"Yeah I want it, duh!"

Merlin set his empty bowl on the coffee table and replaced it with the laptop on his lap. He was amazed at the lightness, the softness of the outside, which still glowed without any scratches, the screen was so thin that Merlin was afraid of breaking it when he opened it. He wiped a hand at the screen to remove a few grains of dust. He moaned as he pressed the power button – so soft! – and the computer ignited immediately, so quiet that Merlin had to put his hand on the keyboard to feel the small vibration that indicated it was actually connected. The system boot was so fast that Merlin was slack-jawed, still staring at the screen some time later. He slid his finger gently down the trackpad to the browser icon and applied as little pressure as possible to the click, releasing an exclamation at the instantaneous response. He typed the address biting his lower lip, feeling the keys caress his fingers...

" _Ahem._ " Merlin looked up to meet Arthur's intent eye. "Let me know if you need privacy."

Merlin snorted, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Honestly, Arthur, are you jealous of the computer now, too?"

"Jealous?" Arthur practically squealed, indignant. "Why, you–" he set his computer on the table before attacking Merlin. "How dare you!"

"Hey, hey, ah!" Merlin had raised his hands to protect his present, but had left the way clear for Arthur to poke at the side of his body. "Beware of my – ah! – baby!"

"Your baby? Give it to me here." Arthur took the notebook from his hand, setting it on the floor before tickling Merlin again.

"Arthur! Stop!" Merlin half moaned, half laughed. "I can’t... I'm sick!"

"Oh, you didn’t look very sick when you were moaning to the computer." Arthur caught Merlin's wrists, lying down on top of him. "And if you say I'm jealous again...!"

"I won’t say anything!" Merlin made sure. "Promise."

"Good boy," Arthur purred, kissing Merlin's lips.

Merlin moaned and tried to match his pace, but the hard scab of Arthur's lip made him recoil in frustration.

"How about that bathtub now, eh?" Arthur offered, staring into his eyes.

"Am I that stinky?" Merlin pouted, though the prospect had sounded quite appealing to his ears.

.M.

Several minutes later, as Merlin relaxed in the hot water with his back against Arthur's chest and his arms around him, Merlin moaned with satisfaction.

"Try not to cum in the water yet," Arthur whispered in his ear and laughed as Merlin made a feeble attempt to elbow him in the ribs.

"Yet?" Merlin asked, finally processing what he had said. "You really intend to take advantage of my convalescent body, then?"

"You didn’t look so convalescent when I was rubbing you just now."

Merlin grunted something about teasing, but he let himself relax again as he felt Arthur's lips on his neck. Arthur had unhurriedly rubbed Merlin's entire body in the hot water – the temperature had been steady for almost half an hour, and if he had not seen Arthur adjusting the temperature on the bathtub's edge, he would suspect witchcraft-but the pleasure Merlin was feeling at the moment was not sexual at all and there was no sign of the semi-erection caused by Arthur's attention to his lower extremities.

"I'm sorry for ruining your plans," Merlin blurted out, sighing.

Arthur sniffed. "You really should not have gotten so deliberately ill, Merlin," he said sarcastically. "Your timing was really awful! A complete lack of consideration."

"Prat," Merlin returned, squeezing Arthur's hands in his. "I'm serious, I know you must have made thousands of plans for our weekend, and you're not the type who likes to be a nurse – despite being sexy and everything – Ouch!" Merlin half-complained, half laughed, as Arthur pulled the hairs beneath his belly button.

"Firstly, I did not make thousands of plans," Arthur replied. "Second, I do not mind being a nurse for you, even though you're the most stubborn patient I've ever had."

"Hey, I’ve done everything you’ve said!" Merlin was indignant. "I can’t even look at the toilet without horrible flashbacks from all the tea and water you made me drink!”

"Yes, you did," Arthur conceded reluctantly. "But only after complaining and whining like a baby-"

"Wait," Merlin interrupted. "How many patients have you had?"

"What?" Arthur sounded confused.

"You said I'm your most stubborn patient. Who else have you taken care of?"

"I was exaggerating, Merlin."

"Oh..." Merlin exclaimed. "So... no one? Just to confirm, you know."

"I've never looked after anyone else, Merlin." Arthur sounded annoyed, but Merlin could bet he was smiling. "Honestly, I'm supposedly the jealous one..."

"Just out of curiosity." Merlin changed the subject. "What did you have planned for today?" "And no use saying you had nothing planned, I know you very well."

Arthur sighed, resigned, and Merlin could almost see him rolling his eyes.

"I intended to take you to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in the Museum of Science..."

"Oh really?" Merlin wondered.

"... and maybe I made dinner reservations at a Japanese restaurant, but after last night I was seriously contemplating canceling the reservation and taking you to a show in Hyde Park or The O2... "

Merlin groaned in disappointment that he’d missed all those cool things.

"Hey, don’t worry." Arthur kissed his temple. "We will have enough time for everything we missed during the week, the exhibition will go until September if I'm not mistaken, and there are concerts every weekend."

"Can we go tomorrow?" Merlin asked, sitting up and turning his neck to face him. "I promise I'll take two liters of water before bed and all the pills you want. And honey, I don’t mind eating the whole bottle if you ask. As long as you promise to take me to the museum tomorrow."

Arthur laughed, pulling off the edge of the tub to kiss him. "If you're better tomorrow, I think we can go." Arthur conceded, holding his chin. "Now why don’t you turn your back again so I can wash your hair?"

Merlin opened his mouth to say he might as well wash his own hair when he realized how stupid it would be and smiled. "Of course!" Merlin spoke, cheerfully, and moaned as Arthur massaged his scalp with the shampoo. At some point, he felt Arthur's erection poke at the base of his spine. "You didn’t tell me all your plans, did you?" Merlin asked, raising a hand behind him and holding Arthur's cock as he rinsed his hair.

"I may have left one or two details out," Arthur admitted. "But we can discuss some way to make up for it." He gripped Merlin's chin, turning his face to a more heated kiss that made Merlin's cock show interest again. They touched each other with their soapy hands until completion and finished washing in the shower.

After bathing, Merlin took his anti-inflammatories and vitamins and let Arthur put him on the bed, whose sweaty sheets had been cleaned.

"Don’t get used to it," Arthur said after covering him with the sheet, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I wouldn’t dare." Merlin smiled. "You’re not going to join me?"

"It's not even ten o'clock yet."

Merlin cocked his head, getting ready to respond, but Arthur took the opportunity to kiss him.

"Okay, I'll bring my laptop here and lie with you in bed, okay?"

"Yeah, well..." Merlin feigned contempt. "It could be better, but..."

"Oh, and how could it be better?"

"You could comb your fingers through my hair until I fell asleep."

"I'll need my hands to use the computer, you know?"

"You can make do with just the one."

"You’re too greedy."

"You said you didn’t mind being my nurse."

"As far as I know, nurses are not required to make their patients sleep soundly."

"No, but you’ll only be a better nurse for it." Merlin shrugged. "It will only enrich your resume, and I won’t be tempted to replace you with another more considerate nurse, if you know what I mean."

"You wouldn’t dare." Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Better not take any chances."

"Funny."

Arthur left the room but came back in a few minutes with the notebook and let Merlin settle close to his thigh as he sat on the bed with some pillows on his back, running his fingers through his hair gently.

"You know you're going to have to pay for all this later, right?" Arthur murmured as Merlin sighed.

"Uh-huh," Merlin agreed, already half asleep.

.M.

On Sunday, Merlin woke up more excited. Arthur took breakfast in bed for him on a tea tray – pancakes with syrup and berries he had bought in the cafe on the way back from his run – and watched as Merlin chewed lazily, stealing some of the strawberries or blackberries from his plate when he thought Merlin wasn’t looking.

Merlin's voice was still a little nasally, but the hoarseness was less pronounced and he hadn’t had a fever since the previous afternoon, so Arthur was confident that the worst was over. He reported it to Hunith when she called and handed the phone to Merlin to confirm that he was okay, and yes, Arthur was taking good care of him.

They spent the morning stretched out on the couch, watching television, then spent the afternoon outside. Arthur took him to lunch at a nearby restaurant, a simple, familiar environment he liked mostly because it was not the kind of place his father would set his feet in of his own free will. Then they went to the Science Museum to attend the "Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius" exhibition, with large-scale reproductions of the artist's inventions, plus some multimedia games and installations that left Merlin open-mouthed – Arthur wouldn’t admit it, but he was also impressed and thoroughly pleased with the exhibition.

When he noticed Merlin start to get tired, however, Arthur insisted on taking him home. Merlin dozed off for the rest of the afternoon, and at night, after dinner and a little cuddling on the couch, Arthur took Merlin to his room and made love to him, as gently and slowly as possible.

He stroked Merlin's hair, then, caressing him, Arthur let his mind wander, remembering what he had discovered in his search the night before. Merlin had very little information on his social media, very few photos and even fewer posts from friends – except Will, who insisted on tagging Merlin in the most absurd things. At least until recently.

In recent months Arthur had noticed an increasing interest in Merlin from his college friends. Especially after last week when Merlin had updated their relationship on his Facebook status for 'In a complicated relationship'. Arthur had stood for several minutes staring at the word 'complicated' and trying to understand why Merlin had not instead chose 'serious.' Hadn’t they clarified that already? Arthur had been so bothered by that one word that he seriously considered taking Merlin's computer, entering his Facebook account and changing his status in person, but fortunately he had kept himself in check, realizing how childlike it would be – as well as being seriously invasive.

There were several people ‘liking’ it, congratulating Merlin – including Morgana, Gwaine and even that Gili guy from Maintenance, Arthur noticed, dissatisfied – and asking who the lucky guy was – with one or two mentions of 'lucky girl' to his complete contempt. Arthur recognized some of the photos of people commenting as the people he had met in the pub and felt his blood chill, but luckily none of them had mentioned his name.

Arthur had spent several minutes toying with the possibility of changing his own status to 'In a serious relationship', but he had closed the laptop before he did. That would undoubtedly catch the attention of his friends, even if Arthur did not mention who he was dating, and Arthur found he wasn’t ready for the kind of questions that decision would raise.

Anyway, Arthur shouldn’t be worrying about that. He ought to enjoy the fact that it was Sunday night and he did not have to take Merlin back to his house before his mother suspected anything. Careful not to wake Merlin, Arthur disentangled himself and reached for a vitamin C, pushing it down his throat with two glasses of water. His throat was sore and he felt more tired than he'd like to admit, so he went to bed early, throwing a sheet over both of them and sticking his nose in Merlin's hair, smiling at the smell of his own shampoo.

.Merlin.

 


	21. Part 2 - Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a warning at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 20**

**27th week**

Monday was the same as always. Arthur ignored his alarm clock and lay in bed with Merlin. His throat was sore and his head hurt, but at least his nose wasn’t stuffy. Apparently, the vitamins he’d taken in the last few days had done some good.

He dozed off and, when he woke again, Merlin had a smile on his face, breakfast tray in his hands – his specialty: eggs, bacon, sausages, and toast with beans. Arthur’s palate was effected by his illness and his throat hurt when he swallowed, but he didn’t stop until he cleared his plate, assuring Merlin that he was fine. At least his lip had healed almost completely, which would avoid speculation from his colleagues about his weekend.

When Merlin approached the sink to wash the dishes, Arthur told him to leave it to Johanna, his cleaning lady, who was to arrive at any moment, and sent him up to finish getting ready. Merlin insisted that Arthur go to the office first, saying that it’d be better if they arrived separately, since Merlin usually arrived later than Arthur, but Arthur didn’t want to hear it. They stubbornly argued with each other, but eventually came to a compromise: they would drive together, but Arthur would leave Merlin in a cafe two blocks from the company. It was not the best option, but Arthur knew it was the only way if he didn’t want to confirm Cenred’s suspicions.

Arriving at the office, Arthur was already feeling tired, the thought of a full day of work exhausting him. To make matters worse, Arthur had a series of scheduled prospecting visits, and by the end of the day he had almost completely lost his voice.

As soon as they arrived at the apartment – it didn’t take much arguing for them both to agree to leave together – Merlin went straight to the kitchen to make some food and Arthur went upstairs to change his clothes. He sat down on the edge of the bed, exhausted, loosened his tie and began answering some of the missed calls during the day with text messages, apologizing for not being able to return the call and ensuring that he would be available to respond to emails as well.

When he returned to the kitchen in shorts and tank top, he saw Merlin,  his back to him while he was watching the stove, singing along with the song that was currently playing from the speakers – he had put one of his playlists to play – and wiggling his hips.

"... _Till I hit the dance floor, hit the dance floor, I got all I need_."¹

Smiling, Arthur sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter and swiped a slice of bacon from one of the dishes, watching as Merlin continued.

" _...Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight! I love cheap thrills!_ " Merlin lifted the spatula to the air as he moved his hip to the rhythm of the song. " _But I don’t need no money... as long as I can feel the beat._ "

Merlin took a plate from the area under the sink and dumped the contents of the frying pan into it. Then he returned it to the stove, breaking two more eggs and adding some seasoning to it. Arthur felt a wave of tenderness wash over him as he watched. He liked to live alone, he liked his privacy; but at the same time he missed the intimacy of sharing and seeing Merlin so comfortable in his kitchen made Arthur want to see it every day.

Several times he had thought to propose to Mithian that she move in with him, but every time he tried to ask her about it she made it clear that she would not leave her own flat without a ring on her finger and that always made Arthur regret his decision, frustrated. Morgana loved saying that Mithian was a cold, calculating person, and Arthur knew she was probably using it as a strategy to get Arthur to ask her to marry him soon, but the truth was that Arthur probably would have done just that if he hadn’t discovered that she was cheating on him.

" _Come on, come on, turn the radio on. It’s Saturday and I won’t be long. Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on. It’s..._ Whoa!"

Merlin had turned to place the plate with omelettes on the counter and saw Arthur. His eyes widened and he reached for the remote control to lower the sound, but Arthur stopped him, taking the remote from him.

"Hey, you don’t have to stop." Arthur articulated the words so that Merlin could read his lips when his voice failed. "Just pretend I’m not here."

Merlin’s face was flushed with embarrassment as he turned his back to Arthur again, stirring the eggs in the frying pan. Unfortunately, however, he did not sing or dance as he finished his omelet. As he sat facing Arthur, he still avoided looking at him, and this time Arthur did not stop him when he turned down the volume.

"You know..." Arthur said, picking up his cutlery. "It’s not Saturday, but feel free to paint your nails and put on some high heels."

"Oh, shut up," Merlin said, threatening him with his fork.

Arthur smiled even more, putting a few pieces of bacon and sausage on his plate. "I was planning to order Chinese food for dinner, but..." Arthur brought a mouthful to his mouth. "This is fine," he said over his mouthful of food.

"And who said this is dinner?" Merlin arched an eyebrow. "It’s just my late-afternoon snack. And you promised my mother that I would eat healthy." He pouted.

"You mean you eat this much every day when you get home from work?" Arthur asked, incredulous.

Merlin shrugged. "Usually just scrambled eggs or an omelette, but I kinda got carried away. And I was hungry," he said as he filled his mouth with eggs and sausage.

"How was your lunch?" Arthur tried to sound casual, though he was still sulking that Merlin had gone to lunch with Gwen, Lance, and Elyan while Arthur had lunched with some potential customers.

"Good," Merlin nodded, finishing chewing. "You?"

"Marvelous," Arthur said sarcastically, remembering all the fine dishes the executives had ordered while Arthur would give everything to eat fish and chips with Merlin.

"Do you think you’ll get the contract, at least?"

"I’m almost hoping we don’t, to tell you the truth," Arthur admitted wearily. "Honestly, if we close all the pending deals, I don’t think we’ll be able to handle it. Leon is already tearing his hair out because of ongoing projects, and complaining that the staff is overworked, and Morgana doesn’t want anyone complaining about overtime until the end of the quarter."

"Water?" Merlin offered, getting up to get a glass of water for himself. "Or maybe you want a beer to relax?"

"Water’s fine."

"There must be some other way to do it," Merlin commented after sitting back down, handing Arthur his glass.

"There is," Arthur admitted after taking a sip, "but it won’t be easy."

Arthur elaborated, telling Merlin how he had planned to ask the other sectors to collaborate to make some analysts available to a task force. However, he would need Morgana’s and Uther’s support for this, since he couldn’t run the risk of disabling the other sectors. They spent some time talking after they finished eating until Arthur got tired of talking about work, proposing that they go out to get some fresh air. Merlin refused, saying he was tired, but Arthur suspected he was just trying to spare him. Instead of insisting, Arthur waited for Merlin to finish doing the dishes – Arthur suggested the dishwasher, but Merlin remarked that there weren’t enough dishes, and so running it would be a waste of water and energy – and increased the volume of the music, hugging him from behind and forcing him to move his hip to the rhythm of the song.²

"I liked it when you danced earlier," Arthur said into his ear as he ran his hands down Merlin’s hips until he cupped his butt, squeezing it.

"Really?" Merlin feigned indifference, continuing to lather the dishes.

"I found it quite... inspiring." Arthur let his hands slide down Merlin’s thighs, feeling them unhurriedly, then climbing up the front to his crotch, unzipping Merlin’s pants and sticking a hand into them, feeling Merlin already semi-erect.

"Arthur..." Merlin gasped, resting the soapy dish in the sink for a moment as he threw his neck back, leaning against Arthur’s chest.

Arthur caught Merlin’s chin with his free hand, bringing him to an awkward kiss and cursing the layers of clothing between them. Arthur took the plate from Merlin’s hands and suddenly spun Merlin around, making his breath catch, wrapping his soapy hands around Arthur’s neck.

"What did I say about wearing jeans in the house, Merlin?" Arthur asked, sliding his nose down Merlin’s chin.

"That I shouldn’t," Merlin breathily murmured, offering his neck for Arthur to kiss.

Instead, however, Arthur twisted him again, pushing him against the counter – now free of plates and glasses – and making him bend over it. "Let me help you, then."

Arthur slipped his hands down the sides of Merlin’s jeans, touching every inch of skin as he lowered his pants and underwear at the same time. He knelt on the floor to help him pull off his socks and shoes until he could take Merlin’s pants off completely while kissing and biting where thigh met Merlin’s buttock. Arthur then stood up again, holding Merlin’s arms up to remove his last piece of clothing, his T-shirt.

Arthur hummed approvingly, sliding his fingertips along the sides of Merlin’s body. "That’s better." Arthur joined Merlin’s wrists near the base of his spine and pressed a hand to his back, forcing him to lean back on the counter. "I hope you’re not too tired for this!"

"No... Mmmhh!" Merlin groaned as his chest found the stone cold.

"Good." Arthur released his wrists and slid his hands down Merlin’s butt again before pushing them away, pressing his erection – still covered by his clothes – between them. "Because I’m going to fuck you here and now, and I want you to remember this every time you lay eyes on the kitchen." Arthur reached for the medicine drawer and picked up the lubricant he’d left there, within reach, for a moment just like this. "Or when you hear this song."

_Can’t keep my hands to myself...³_

Arthur didn’t know the song or who the singer was, but the lyrics were very convenient. Merlin murmured something unintelligible, but Arthur didn’t need to hear him to know that he was totally aroused, the way he rubbed himself against Arthur’s cock had left no room for doubt. Arthur took his hip in place with one hand and spread some of the lubricant between Merlin’s ass before sliding a finger inside him, bending down to kiss the spot between Merlin’s shoulder blades as he prepared him.

"I can’t keep my hands off you, Merlin," Arthur said to Merlin’s shoulder, thrusting with another finger as his free hand explored every bit of Merlin’s legs, abdomen, and groin at his fingertips.

Arthur slid the tip of his nose down Merlin’s spine to the middle of his back and licked his way back up, feeling the scent and salt of his skin permeating his senses. Then he straightened up to add more lubricant before adding a third finger, watching as Merlin gripped the edge of the counter, his face pressed to the side of the stone counter, his breath catching. When he felt Merlin’s muscles were stretched enough, Arthur withdrew his fingers, pushed his shorts and underwear down his thighs and rubbed his cock between Merlin’s ass cheeks, lubricating himself.

"Please, Arthur," Merlin begged, shifting the angle of his hips until the tip of Arthur’s cock slipped into the ring of muscles, and Arthur had to hold himself in place and lock his jaw so he wouldn’t thrust in completely.

"Someone’s greedy." Arthur smiled, kissing Merlin’s back as he slowly entered him. He was almost completely in when the next song started and he laughed, throwing his head back when he heard the first stanzas.

Merlin raised his head curiously, trying to look over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"The music, _Mer_ lin!" Arthur spoke to his neck. "The fucking music!"

"Oh!" Merlin rested his face on the stone, smiling. "I swear it wasn’t intentional."

"Of course not," Arthur quipped. "You wouldn’t have anticipated this outcome, would you?" He stepped back a few inches and pushed back a little more forcefully to reinforce what he said and Merlin bit his lower lip, shaking his head. Then Arthur began to move to the beat of Animals, which Arthur did know the artist of – Maroon 5. He stripped off his own T-shirt to feel skin-on-skin contact and grabbed Merlin’s hair, forcing him to lift his head, still gently.

" _You’re like a drug that’s killing me,_ " Arthur half sang, half spoke in his ear as he continued to move his hips in sync with the rhythm of the song. " _I cut you out entirely, but I get so high when I’m inside yoooou._ "

Merlin whined and moaned and gasped as Arthur practically howled along with the music. The whole scene, beyond his hoarse voice, was probably pathetic, but Merlin didn’t seem to care, Arthur could tell the way Merlin squirmed, his breathing quick. Arthur looked at his own hand holding Merlin’s hip, then lower, watching his penis disappear and reappear and cursed, speeding up the pace, no longer caring about the music.

_No one has ever had Merlin like this_ , Arthur thought, suddenly marveling at his own luck.

Arthur drew Merlin in, making him straighten his spine and kissed him, caressing Merlin’s chest – his skin was frozen where he had been leaning against the cold stone – paying special attention to his rigid nipples.

"Arthur..." Merlin gasped, holding one of his hands and guiding Arthur to his cock. "I need you to..."

Arthur was tempted to deny Merlin, for he was reluctant to end this passionate session, but he yielded, holding him firmly.

"Fuck yeah, that!" Merlin approved. "Now... you know... _move_!"

Arthur laughed. "Demanding, aren’t you?" Arthur teased, but he moved again, stroking him in sync with his onslaughts.

Merlin leaned back on the counter, taking advantage of the loud music to moan loudly and freely, making Arthur take a mental note to play music more often. Arthur came first, breathing heavily into Merlin’s neck for a moment as he pulsed inside him before he moved again, fast and strong, until Merlin poured into his hand with a hoarse cry.

Arthur withdrew from him, sensitive and exhausted, resting his hands on the counter as he recovered. Merlin groaned in discomfort, and Arthur straightened, letting him turn around. Merlin hugged him and breathed against his neck for a while. Arthur could not tell for sure who was supporting the weight of who.

"Where did you..." Merlin said, but cleared his throat when his voice failed and Arthur fumbled the counter until he found the remote control, turning down the volume. "Where did you find the lube?"

"Medicine drawer," Arthur replied.

"You planned this?"

"Let’s just say I’m always prepared."

"God, I’m exhausted," Merlin gasped.

"Uh-huh," Arthur agreed.

"I’m sorry, by the way."

"Because?"

"Because I gave you the flu."

Arthur snorted. "You did not give me the flu, and it takes a lot more than a sore throat to knock me over. Besides, you didn’t _make_ me kiss you, did you?"

"Hm," Merlin grunted. "All I know is Maroon 5 will never be the same from now on. Or this kitchen."

"Good," Arthur sighed. "Bath?"

"Yes please."

The staircase never seemed so long and challenging, but the long bathing tub was worth the effort.

"My shoulders are cold," Merlin informed him, his voice thick with sleep.

"I don’t care?" Arthur responded playfully, and poured hot water on Merlin’s back, narrowing his eyes as the doorbell rang below.

"Did you order food?" Merlin asked, making no move to leave Arthur’s chest. They were practically lying in the tub, facing each other, Merlin making Arthur’s left breastplate his pillow.

"Yeah, but..." Arthur groped for Merlin’s cell phone – he had forgotten his downstairs – checking the time. It was just past eight o’clock. He leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, grunting. "I asked them to deliver only after nine!"

"Do you want me to go get it?" Merlin offered, still not moving a muscle.

"No, I’ll do it." Arthur sighed and patted his arm. "Want to get off of me?"

"Ngh," Merlin grumbled, but he finally dislodged himself from Arthur, sitting in the tub and splashing water on his face. "Are you gonna get back in?"

"No, I don’t think so," Arthur said, getting up and grabbing a towel to dry himself quickly as the doorbell rang a second time. "But you can stay longer, if you want. You know how to adjust the temperature, right?"

"Mmhm," Merlin murmured, and lay down again, leaving only his head out of the water.

Arthur shook his head, laughing to himself as he left the bathroom. He slipped inside his sweatpants, closed the bedroom door, and walked down the stairs, drying his hair. He heard his cell phone buzzing on the table and picked it up as he passed, but the call went to voicemail before he had time to answer. He unlocked it as he picked up the intercom.

"Hello?" Arthur called, but there was no answer. He put the receiver back on the hook and frowned at the realization that Morgana had called him five times. "What the hell?" He asked as the phone started ringing again, at the same time someone was knocking on his door. "Hello?" Arthur answered, opening the door automatically.

"Arthur, would you please open the goddamn..." Arthur froze for a moment as he processed what he saw and heard. Morgan looked at him from the other side of the door. "Ah, there you are." She put the phone in her purse, practically pushing Arthur aside as she stepped into his apartment. "Just close the door so you don’t get a cold, and would you at least put your slippers on? Or put on something warmer?"

"What–" Arthur blinked, turning to see his sister walking to the kitchen table as she searched the bag absently.

"You don’t need to sound so surprised, I called the concierge and they let me in, since you didn’t bother to answer the doorbell, or your phone–"

"What are you doing here?" Arthur practically squealed, closing the door as soon as he regained his mental faculties and approached Morgana. But something on the kitchen floor caught his eye, making him stop halfway. "Fu-" Arthur started cursing, but stopped short. His clothes and those of Merlin were still scattered on the floor exactly where they had been thrown , half an hour ago. Arthur glanced at his sister – who was still half immersed in the suitcase she insisted on calling a purse – and acted swiftly, gathering the clothes before she caught sight of them and kicked them under the cabinet.

"I was remembering when we were kids and I made tea for you when you were sick, remember? Oh, here it is!" She took a box from her bag, shaking it. "I went to Gaius’s drugstore and he recommended this tea. He said something about sweetening it with honey, but I know you prefer your tea without it being sweetened, so..." she walked around the counter, heading for the stove. "Why don’t you sit down while I– Oh!"

Morgana stopped in front of the sink and then sniffed, looking around. "Arthur, were you cooking?" She stared at him, putting a hand on her waist.

"What? No!" Arthur shook his head, trying to process everything she had said. He was about to say that she knew full well that he didn’t cook when Morgana pointed the dirty frying pan to the sink with a nod. "Oh, I mean... I wanted an omelette." Morgana raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And... bacon."

"There’s someone here, isn’t there?" Morgan put the tea box on the sink and folded her arms, giving Arthur an appraising look.

"Of course not!" Arthur looked away from his sister and stared at the exact spot where Merlin had bent over the counter moments before, his eyes widening at the white-pearly glint on the wall below the counter. They’d forgotten to clean! He stepped forward to stand between Morgan and the counter. "There’s no one here but me."

"Oh really?" Morgana mocked. "Then why do you have two plates, two glasses and two forks in the sink?" Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. "And I know very well that you can’t make an omelet to save your life."

Arthur huffed and rubbed his hands in his face, trying to look annoyed, when in fact his mind was working desperately to find a logical explanation for that. Beyond the obvious, of course.

"Who is it?" Morgan asked, and Arthur looked up at her. "Arthur, why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?"

"It’s not– I’m not–!" Arthur tried, but Morgana wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying, staring up at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide. Arthur had to look too, heart madly pounding in his chest, but there was no one on the stairs and the door to his room was still closed.

"Oh my God." Morgan looked at Arthur’s wet hair, the towel around his bare shoulders, then stepped forward, taking one of her hands and scanning his wrinkled fingers. "You were in the bathtub! With... someone!"

"Morgana–!" Arthur took his hand out of his sister’s grip, but was interrupted again.

"Arthur!" Morgana exclaimed, her face cracking a crooked smile. "You dog! And I worried about your health! How long has this been happening, if you two are already so close?"

"Morgana, for Christ’s sake, would you please stop it?"

"Only if you tell me who it is," she shrugged.

"As if that would really happen," Arthur said at last, no longer trying to deny it. He could recognize a losing battle.

Morgana’s smile widened. "Okay, I’m not in a hurry." She turned to the stove again, picking up the kettle to fill with water. "Whoever it is, they’re going to have to come down at some point, aren’t they? Or I could go up and–"

"You wouldn’t dare," Arthur spat out through clenched teeth, ready to force his sister out in case she tried.

"I hope I don’t have to do that, of course," she continued, lighting the fire and opening the cabinet. "Shall I make three cups?"

"Morgana, enough!" Arthur stepped forward and closed the closet. "That’s already over the top, and you know it! Thanks for the gesture, but I think you should go.”

"It’s someone I know, isn’t it?" Morgana continued, and Arthur grunted, burying his face in his hands. "It’s someone from the office! I bet I can guess–"

"I hired a hooker, okay?" Arthur spoke in a panic.

Morgana stared at him in silence for several long seconds before she spoke again. "And you invited her to eat eggs and bacon, or to make eggs and bacon for you! Wow, that _totally_ makes sense! I bet she’ll charge you extra for that." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Arthur, you’re insulting my intelligence..."

Arthur opened his mouth to defend himself, but he heard the door of his room open and Merlin’s voice sounded immediately.

"Arthur, how emotionally attached are you to my pubic hair?"

Arthur was afraid to look, especially at the way Morgana had widened her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand, but he eventually turned around, prepared to see Merlin coming down the stairs completely naked. Then he leaned against the counter, breathing relieved to see that he had worn at least his pajama pants. Merlin had wet hair and he rubbed his belly button absently, keeping his gaze down.

"I mean, would you mind if I didn’t have any?" Merlin spoke quietly. "Because I’m seriously thinking about shaving–"

"Merlin!" Arthur interrupted him quickly, clearing his throat when his voice failed. "Merlin, _Morgana_ ’s here."

"Oh..." Merlin froze in the middle of the stairs, his mouth wide open in a perfect "o", hands slowly lowering into his crotch, and Arthur’s gaze was immediately drawn to the region. By the way his pants were cut, Arthur could see he was definitely not wearing underwear. Arthur cursed and looked away.

"Merlin, what a surprise!" Morgana followed him out of the kitchen, smiling and looking from one to the other.

"His mother is traveling," Arthur offered before Merlin could open his mouth and finish ruining everything. "I said he could stay here, in the guest room."

"Oh, I see..." Morgana narrowed her eyes in disbelief, but Arthur held her gaze with the utmost dignity he could muster. "As far as I know, the room he just left is your room," she pointed in the direction from which Merlin had come.

"I let him use my bathtub." Arthur tried to sound unconcerned. "He had never seen a bath with jets in his life and kept looking at me with those puppy dog eyes that no one can resist. You know what kids are like nowadays..."

"Hey!" Merlin was indignant. "I’m not–"

"Well, for anyone who never took a bath with jets, he certainly was fast," Morgana commented sarcastically, then her face flashed in a sweet smile as she faced Merlin. "But why don’t you join us for tea? You sound a bit hoarse, too. What a coincidence, isn’t it?"

"Oh, I should probably finish getting dressed–" Merlin started, wishing he could leave, but Morgana made a dismissive gesture.

"Nonsense, you don’t have to be ashamed. After all, I’m the intruder here." She turned to face the kitchen as the kettle whistled. "Come on, Merlin, sit down, the tea will be ready in only a moment."

"I’m sorry." Merlin mouthed at Arthur in dismay, but Arthur just rolled his eyes.

"It’s not your fault," Arthur whispered back, walking right past him and sitting at the kitchen table, turning on his laptop to check his e-mails, dividing his attention between the computer and what was happening around him and pretending not to be apprehensive about the turn this night was taking.

"Come on, Merlin, take a seat!" Morgana insisted, pointing to one of the stools in front of the counter, and Arthur noticed from the corner of his eye the way Merlin sat stiffly, his back to Arthur, keeping his arms in front of his body, as if trying to hide his nakedness. "So, your mother’s traveling? How fun!"

"Uh yeah, I guess," Merlin agreed. "She went to Ireland to visit my aunt."

"I see... And Arthur offered for you to stay here? How thoughtful of him!"

"Yeah, it was."

"How long have you been staying with him?" Morgan asked with forced casualness as she made the tea.

"Um... Since Friday night."

"Do you want sugar with your tea, Merlin?"

"Yes please."

"Let me see... now where has that sugar bowl walked off to...?"

"On the tray next to the microwave," Merlin offered and Arthur cursed softly.

"Oh, yeah of course... I don’t come here often enough to remember! Here it is... Oh, what beautiful hands you have, can I see them...? Did you know you have the hands of a pianist?"

Arthur had to grit his teeth to make no rhetorical remarks about his sister’s poor excuse to examine Merlin’s hands, probably checking to see his hands were as wrinkled as Arthur’s.

Morgana handed Arthur a cup of tea and went back to the counter, continuing her conversation with Merlin and seeming to ignore him, but Arthur knew his sister enough to know that she was counting on the fact that Arthur was paying attention to every word they would say. Morgana made seemingly innocent comments as she tried to probe a little more about how familiar Merlin was with his surroundings, and Arthur needed all his self-control not to march there and say, "Okay, it’s true, we’re together. You’re really smart, now tell me what I need to do to keep your mouth shut."

Merlin, however, seemed totally oblivious to Morgana’s game, continuing with the farce that he was there as a mere guest. He had no way of knowing how much Morgana liked her power games.

"Well, this conversation has been nice, but unfortunately I need to go," Morgana said, approaching the table to pick up her bag, politely dismissing Merlin’s thanks for the tea. "Merlin, it’s always a pleasure to talk to you. Arthur, darling, can you be so kind as to at least accompany your sister to the door?"

"With pleasure," Arthur said sarcastically.

"Are you crazy, Arthur?" Morgana spoke in an urgent whisper as they stepped into the elevator hall. "Do you want to be sued? What do you think people will say in the office if they find out?"

"Morgana–" Arthur started, closing the door behind him to make sure Merlin wouldn’t hear anything, but she continued, paying no attention to him.

"What do you think our father will do, if he knows? And I’m not just referring to the fact that Merlin is a guy – I honestly don’t think it would make a difference to our father in that case – but because he’s your intern. And what about Cenred? If he hears about it, he’ll think Christmas has come early!"

"Morgana!" Arthur insisted, holding her sister’s arms and resisting the urge to shake her. "No one will know if you don’t say anything."

"Of course I won’t say anything," Morgana snorted, pulling away from him, "but you’re doing a _great_ job hiding it, bringing him to your apartment and playing house!"

"Well, it’s not like Cenred would appear without warning, unlike certain people, would he?" Arthur grew impatient.

"But what if it was our father?" Morgana insisted. "You don’t have to be a genius to know that you two were taking a shower together or that neither of you bothered to wear underwear!"

"Alright, alright." Arthur rubbed his hands over his face, trying to calm down. "It could have been father, it could have been anyone, but it wasn’t!" Arthur stared at her, and Morgana crossed her arms, her lips pressed together tightly. "Now the question is, what are you going to do with this information?"

"What information?" Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I don’t know anything, because if I did I would have to do something about it, wouldn’t I?

Arthur swallowed, looking away from his sister, equally embarrassed and relieved.

"I suspected, you know," Morgana continued. "With all those messages, the way you look at him, your escapades to the cottage... But honestly, I didn’t think you would be so irresponsible with your own career, or even with Merlin, have you thought about the repercussions of this for him?"

Arthur grunted, turning his back to his sister and resting a hand on the wall, clenching his fists in frustration.

"How long has this been going on?" Morgana pressed. "You were together on your birthday, weren’t you? That peanut butter bread was for him, wasn’t it? "

"He was drunk," Arthur said, trying not to sound guilty but failing. "And I kissed him, but he passed out before I got back to the bedroom."

"Christ, Arthur, I thought you were smarter than that! Are you really risking your image in the company just for a fling?"

"Merlin’s not a fling!" Arthur turned to her indignantly.

"So, what is it? Are you gay now?"

"I don’t know!" Arthur exasperatedly exclaimed. "All I know is that I like Merlin, and we’re dating, I know you’ve seen his status on Facebook."

Morgana sighed and let her shoulders fall, approaching him. "Look, Arthur," her voice sounded softer, more understanding, "don’t get me wrong, Merlin is a sweetheart, and I would be extremely happy for you, under other circumstances, but this is dangerous, not to mention that it’s completely irresponsible."

"I know," Arthur agreed, his voice breaking.

And deep down, he really did. Gaius was right about Merlin, perhaps he’d rather give everything up so he could be open about their relationship, but Morgana was also right about the fact that Arthur would never forgive himself for ruining Merlin’s career.

They were silent for some time before Morgana spoke again. "Alator came and talked to me about Merlin."

"Really?" Arthur turned to her in surprise. "And what did he say?"

"He wanted to know what he needed to do to hire him after he finished his internship and if it would be possible to bring him to his team fully." Morgana offered him a small smile.

"Wow!" Arthur exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "But Merlin spent only a week with him, and even then only a few hours a day!"

"Well, I guess he got you hooked on the first week, too." Morgana shrugged, a soft expression on her face. "I still remember the way you looked at me when I suggested giving you a new intern."

Arthur frowned, ready to deny everything, but Morgana gave him a look sharp enough to cut glass.

"Okay," Arthur agreed. "Thank you, Morgana."

"And you’ll have to face me if you hurt him!" She threatened, suddenly serious.

"Why does everyone act like I’m the villain?" Arthur was indignant. "What if he hurts me?"

"Ah, you’re a grown-up. You can lick your own wounds," Morgana scoffed, but she smiled and hugged him before pulling away, pressing the elevator button. "And don’t forget: I don’t know anything."

Arthur nodded and waved goodbye as the doors closed.

Inside, Merlin was pacing the room, biting his nails, and ran to him as soon as he entered. "So, how’d it go?" Merlin asked worriedly. "Too bad?"

"It’s okay," Arthur assured him, ready to speak the truth, but then he remembered Morgana’s words. "She just wanted to talk about our father."

"Oh..." Merlin let his shoulders drop, relieved. "Wow... I was sure she’d figured everything out!" The way she looked at me as she spoke... I was almost confessing to her without her asking me! I should have checked before–"

"Hey, hey," Arthur interrupted, holding his shoulders, "it’s okay, you had no way of knowing, I didn’t even expect it, she never comes without warning."

"Okay," Merlin nodded, though it still seemed a bit uncertain.

"Anyway, I think it would be best if we didn’t leave our clothes scattered around the house if we can avoid it."

"Oh no!" Merlin’s eyes widened. "She didn’t see them, did she?"

"I hid them before she could." Arthur shrugged. "And I’m pretty sure she didn’t see the stain on the wall of the counter, right where you–"

"Oh my God!" Merlin buried his face in his hands, blushing. "I don’t believe it! And the whole time I was talking to her _right there_ , practically naked, trying not to remember what we did– God, this is so embarrassing! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look your sister in the eye again!"

"Nonsense," Arthur assured him. "So, what were you saying about shaving your hair?"

"Argh!" Merlin tugged at his hair. "Kill me now and end this torture!"

Arthur threw back his head and laughed, pulling Merlin into a hug, thinking how adorable Merlin was when he was embarrassed like that.

.Merlin.

"Well, I think we’ve finished this one!" Isolde said, saving the document. "Do you want to double check before I send it?"

"No need," Merlin assured her. "I think it looks great."

"I think so too, to be honest." Isolde smiled. "Well, I’m sending in your review, then, with a copy for Alator and Arthur," she said as she included the addresses in the email. "I’m spending so much time with you that I’m already calling the director by his first name! I need to watch myself or I’ll do it in his face one of these days..."

"I don’t think he cares." Merlin shrugged.

"Well, you better not risk it." Isolde took a few more clicks, then turned her chair to face Merlin. "Okay, we finished sooner than planned!" She glanced at her watch. "And we still have some time left. Do you want to work on the boutique project?"

"Actually," Merlin scratched his head, "Arthur asked me to stop at the Warehouse to get some boxes for him..."

"Oh, sure, no problem," Isolde assured him. "Let’s leave it for tomorrow, then."

They said goodbye and Merlin waved to Alator on his way out – he was in a similar office Arthur’s – all the walls were made of glass. Alator was nicer than Merlin had imagined, at first, humorous and respectful to his staff. He always stopped to talk to Merlin and seemed genuinely interested in what Merlin had to say. Merlin called the elevator and took his cell phone out of his pocket, sending Arthur a message.

’ _Coming down to the Warehouse now._ ’

’ _Don’t be late,_ ’ came the answer almost immediately.

’ _Oh, you plan to leave on time today?’_

’ _I always leave on time, Merlin. Besides, I have plans for tonight. ’_

’ _Really? Tell me about your plans.’_

’ _Nice try. You know the meaning of a surprise, don’t you?’_

’ _Clotpole.’_

’ _Nosy.’_

Merlin slipped the phone into his pocket with a smile on his face. One of the many advantages of spending the week with Arthur was that they were able to be more discreet during office hours. Even the messages they exchanged were more innocent and restrained. Arthur was still a little grouchy when it was time for Merlin to go down to Development, but at least he tried to be civil about it. Merlin had been surprised when Alator had urged him to continue spending a few hours in his department every day, but he was even more surprised when Arthur had not objected.

When Merlin looked up, however, his smile died. Cenred was standing across the aisle, his hands in the pocket of his pants, his back against the wall.

"I would ask what could be so interesting as to put such a smile on your face, but I have an idea." Cenred spoke in his best disinterested tone.

"Fine," Merlin murmured sarcastically, pressing the elevator button again. Cenred had appeared in Development shortly after Merlin had arrived and spent some time in the room with Alator. Merlin had purposely sat in the back and avoided looking in that direction, but he could practically feel Cenred’s gaze on him the whole time he was there, like ants crawling across his skin. He wondered how long he should’ve been there in the hall. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d stuck around to stalk Merlin. "What are you looking at?" Merlin asked as he caught Cenred’s gaze yet again.

"I’m trying to understand how I didn’t see your potential right away." Cenred shrugged. "I mean, I don’t remember you being so... nice to look at the first time we met. Of course, Arthur saw beyond your sloppy manner at first, but I must admit he’s done a great job with you ever since."

"Hmph," Merlin grunted, pressing his lips together so that he wouldn’t give any snarky reply.

"Don’t get me wrong, I like your stripped look, but you were definitely more... interesting in that makeup. And the shirt, let’s not go forgetting the T-shirt. Absolutely lovely, especially when you raised your arms."

"Are you serious?" Merlin stared at him, wanting to make his displeasure obvious.

"Oh, I certainly am."

"You _are_ aware of how inappropriate this conversation is, right? I could report you for sexual harassment."

"You could," Cenred pondered. "But we both know you’re not going to go. If you didn’t like that kind of attention, Pendragon would’ve been suspended from his post if not exonerated, or maybe your standards are too high for a simple manager like me?"

"My standards are too high for an _idiot_ like you." Merlin pressed the elevator button hard again.

"Oh, it’s getting better every second!" Cenred teased, approaching. "You’re not very clever, are you? Or you would have noticed that the elevator is jammed on the eighth floor since you arrived."

"Okay, you’re right," Merlin conceded, raising his hands in redemption. "I should have chosen the stairs the second I noticed you were here.”

Merlin turned his back to him and took the stairs.

"Send my regards to your boyfriend!" He heard Cenred’s answer and clenched his fists and rocketed down the steps two by two until he had put a safe distance between them. Now he could fully understand what had brought Arthur to physical assault with that fucking bastard. And speaking of Arthur, Merlin would be grateful if Arthur was never made aware of that little chat he just had with Cenred. Knowing him well, Arthur would certainly do something entirely stupid to assert his dominance.

Merlin shook his head and shoved that event into some forgotten corner of his mind, directing his thoughts to something more pleasant, like what Arthur might have planned for that night.

.Merlin.

"Here it is." Merlin placed a briefcase on Arthur’s desk.

"Is everything here?" Arthur asked, flipping through the documents.

"Yeah." Merlin covered his mouth as he yawned. "I checked."

"Great, now you can move on to the next activity I asked you to do."

"Okay." Merlin blinked a few times before turning around. Then he stopped in the middle of the room, looking rather lost.

"Is there a problem, Merlin?"

"Oh, not me just..." He scratched his head. "What did you ask me to do?"

"Preparing the meeting room." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, Merlin, what have you been up to, to be so hung over on a Wednesday morning?"

"Hm... I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you asked..." Merlin smiled, his face lighting up suddenly. "My boyfriend took me on an amazing date last night, it was great! I had so much fun!"

"Well, tell your boyfriend to take it easier on a work night or you will have to work overtime until the end of the week." Arthur had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t smile too.

"Why would I say that?" Merlin was indignant. "The fun of the evening totally paid for the hangover. Actually, I’d take the hangover every day, if it were the price to pay for such a nice time I had."

"Well, I don’t know about ’every day,’ but try not to vomit in his car next time and who knows, maybe he’ll take you out more often?"

"Hey, technically I didn’t puke in the car. I opened the door on time!"

"But it was a really close call."

"Still! I didn’t puke _in_ the car!"

As much as he was teasing Merlin, Arthur had been pleased with the way Merlin had enjoyed himself the night before. Arthur had taken him to dinner in a French restaurant, where he had requested a table in a reserved place so that they could act like lovestruck teenagers without attracting reproachful glances from other clients. Then Arthur had taken him to a Danish band show in an exclusive open bar dressing room. Arthur was not particularly a fan of alternative music, but Merlin had practically danced and skipped the whole show, especially after his third shot of tequila.

"Okay," Arthur checked his watch, "the meeting is scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. What are you still waiting for?"

"I’m going, I’m going!" Merlin left, looking more awake.

Arthur shook his head as he turned his attention to the computer, but his phone rang. Arthur sighed as he saw his sister’s extension number, but knew that ignoring her was never a good choice.

"You know we’ll see each other in fifteen minutes, don’t you?" He said as he picked up the phone.

" _Well, yes, but I thought you wouldn’t want Uther to hear what I have to say,_ " Morgan replied.

"What is it?" Arthur tried not to sound worried.

" _He called me to ask if I would be free this Saturday to have lunch with him and Catrina._ "

"Oh, shit." Arthur pressed the bridge over his nose. "Morgana, you know Merlin will still be home..."

" _Yeah, yeah, I know._ " Morgana interrupted him. " _That’s why I said I’d made an appointment with a friend of mine from college who’d come to spend the weekend in London._ "

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. "And what did he say?"

" _He suggested Sunday, but I said that this week is your’s and Leon’s monthly football match and that it wouldn’t be good if you guys got weighed down with rich food before the game._ "

"But we didn’t–"

" _I know that too,_ " Morgana interrupted him again. " _You know, most people would say, ’Thank you, Morgana, I owe you one!’, But I suppose it would be too much to expect from you._ "

"Well, I wouldn’t say I owe you anything–"

" _Ah, but you do! And I intend to collect that debt much sooner than you think._ "

"Of course," Arthur said sarcastically. "So tell me, Morgana, what exactly do I owe you?"

" _Edwin Muirden is having a launch party for a line of men’s products next Tuesday and he makes a point of our presence,_ " she said, and Arthur grunted. " _I happen to have a feeling I’m going to be having a terrible migraine that night, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to represent me._ "

"No, thanks," Arthur scoffed.

" _Maybe I haven’t been very clear, this isn’t a request, Arthur._ "

"Morgana, please..." Arthur practically whimpered. "You know I hate these kinds of events! And you never–"

" _Yes, well, I_ never _bothered to participate, to_ smile _and to make_ excuses for your absences–"

"You’re pretty creative in that sense, I have to admit. Last time, I think you mentioned something about an ex-girlfriend of mine having died of HIV," Arthur commented, but Morgana paid no attention.

" _Well, it just so happens that I’m tired of it. I want to stay at home painting my nails, drinking wine and watching classic movies while you get face cramps from smiling, talking about politics, the economy, and football with those narcissists, for a change. I’m taking a few weeks And you, little brother, will represent the Pendragon family at upcoming events._ "

"Events? Hey, I’m pretty sure I don’t owe you that much for a that tiny little lie–"

" _Oh, really?_ " The sarcasm in Morgana’s voice sounded so forcefully that Arthur instinctively flinched. " _Tell me, Arthur, has Merlin already shaved, or are you still attached to his_ pubic hair _?_ "

"Damn it, Morgana!" Arthur clapped his fist on the table. "Could you take more care of what you say on the company’s phone?"

" _Oh, it’s not what I say on the phone that you need to worry about, Arthur. That’s the kind of thing that could easily slip out of my mouth at our dinner this Saturday, since my college friend just canceled her visit–_ "

"I can not believe you’re threatening me because of a male shampoo launch event!" Arthur was indignant.

" _It works better than appealing to your brotherly love, doesn’t it?_ "

"You’re evil, Morgana."

" _Look, Arthur, all I’m asking is for you to show up there, say hello to Muirden, make sure the press gets photo proof that you were there and that’s it, you’re free._ "

"Fine," Arthur agreed, though reluctantly. "But we’ll have to talk more about these other events." Knowing Morgana, if he did not limit this now, agreeing to her terms was as good as to agreeing to lifelong indentured servitude.

" _Next Tuesday, don’t forget._ "

"I’m sure you won’t _let_ me forget."

Arthur set the phone on the hook harshly and cursed loudly. Now he was in a crappy mood and still had to face Morgana, Uther, and Cenred in a meeting and all in one sitting. He checked his watch one last time before picking up the briefcase on his desk and leaving his office.

.M.

"... which leaves us with nine possible clients, not to mention the ones I’ve mentioned," Arthur said, changing the slide. "In addition, Leon and I have a full schedule of visits for this week and next week. If we continue at this pace, we won’t have time to continue the projects already underway."

"And you think two more people is enough?" Uther asked, frowning.

"Hardly," Arthur mused. "But it’s a start, at least until Morgan gets approval for hiring more employees."

"And how is that going so far?" Uther turned to Morgana, who was examining her nails.

She had been nice to Merlin as usual, coming to the meeting, asking about his mother and Gaius and even about his mysterious boyfriend. Merlin had answered the last question evasively, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. If Merlin was being honest with himself, he’d hoped Morgana figured it out on Monday when she’d seen him in Arthur’s apartment. Merlin hated hiding it from her, especially after all she had said in the pub about acceptance, but he preferred to imagine that Arthur was only being cautious, rather than ashamed.

"I got financial approval for two new hires in each sector," Morgana said, pragmatic. "CRM, Diagnostics, Development and Implementation, but I believe I can get more, soon. Anyway, I can start the selection for the vacancies approved immediately while I try to get approval for the others."

"Do it." Uther nodded. "As for the collaborations, I imagine you already have some ideas on who you want?"

"In fact, I do," Arthur said.

Cenred snorted. "Of course you do," the Accounting manager murmured, but the others didn’t listen or pretended they didn’t hear. He had also greeted Merlin as he reached the meeting room, though not at all pleasantly, earning a murderous look from Arthur.

"Elyan Keller of HR, and Mordred Allen of Accounting," Arthur continued, as if he had not been interrupted.

Merlin raised his eyebrows in surprise. Arthur had not mentioned exactly who he intended to bring to his division when he explained his plan on Monday. But Merlin must have guessed Arthur would give preference to his friends.

"What?" Cenred stood up. "Are you crazy, Pendragon?"

The three Pendragons faced him with different levels of annoyance and boredom – the latter in Morgana’s case.

"He seems quite reasonable to me, Cenred," Morgana said. "I agree to give you Elyan, by the way."

Uther and Arthur turned to Cenred again, full of impatient anticipation.

"Well?" Uther pressed.

Cenred turned to Arthur, enraged. "I don’t see why I should help your department over mine, Pendragon."

"Did you pay any attention to anything I said?" Arthur mocked. "Because that is exactly the purpose of this meeting, if you haven’t noticed."

"Why Mordred?" Cenred continued, ignoring him. "Why not any other employee? Why not an employee of... Maintenance or the Warehouse or anyone other than one of mine?"

"You mean, besides the fact that their qualification is totally useless for the kind of work they are needed for?" Morgana said, almost sweetly. "Besides, weren’t you here when Arthur explained how the occupational volume of other sectors related to the projects is directly proportional to that of the CRM?"

"Mordred already has some experience with our projects," Arthur argued. "He’s already helped us on other occasions, and the less time we lose with introductions and explanations, the better."

Uther gave a little nod, as if he thought the argument quite reasonable – as indeed it was, in Merlin’s opinion. Not that anyone would ask for his opinion.

However, for some reason, Merlin was annoyed by the way it seemed that Arthur needed Mordred so desperately. Merlin imagined that Arthur wouldn’t want to fight with Cenred so deliberately if this wasn’t really important to him. Merlin remembered the way Arthur and Mordred seemed intimate in the pub the last time, and his mood suddenly turned dark.

"Why would I lend one of my best employees to you for a whole month when you didn’t even lend your trainee to me for a week?" Cenred pointed an accusing finger at Arthur, and Uther frowned, staring at Arthur as if seeing him for the first time in a long time.

Merlin shifted in his chair at those words, trying to shrink to the maximum, but no one looked in his direction.

"Not this again." Arthur rolled his eyes.

Morgana sighed. "Unlike you, Arthur did not wait until the last minute to mobilize as many people as possible for a lost cause, Cenred." Morgana’s upper lip twitched. "He planned and made a reasonable proposal to avoid getting into a situation like that. Or do you really think you would have met your deadline if Merlin had helped?"

"Well, I can’t tell you that," Cenred replied, straightening up, "but judging by the way Arthur refuses to keep him out of his sight even during a strategic meeting like this, Mr. Emrys certainly must be something special," he scoffed.

Suddenly, there were four sets of eyes staring at Merlin. He pretended to check the projector’s wires, feeling his face warm with embarrassment.

"Merlin’s here as my personal assistant," Arthur said through gritted teeth, "and I don’t understand how it has anything to do with the topic of this meeting."

"Henry, sit down, please," despite the polite words, Uther’s tone left no doubt that this was more of a command than a request and Cenred sat down, but not without casting yet another look of contempt in Arthur’s general direction. "Do you have any serious objections to Arthur’s proposal? I am talking about numbers, statistics and projections, not opinions and complaints, if I’m not being clear enough for you."

Cenred angrily worked his jaw, but then lowered his head. "No sir."

"Excellent. What do you think about Keller and Allen starting next Monday?"

And finally everyone reached an agreement – Cenred last and clearly reluctant. As soon as the meeting was concluded, Uther answered a phone call with a serious expression and Cenred left the room more than quickly. Morgana and Arthur chatted before she waved goodbye to Merlin and left. Merlin started to turn off the equipment.

"Arthur," Uther spoke gravely, lowering his cell phone. "It’s Mr. Odin. He asked to speak with you."

As he approached the table to collect the scattered papers, Merlin saw Arthur’s lips move in a curse, but he forced a smile as he accepted the phone. "Mr. Odin, how can I help you?" Arthur spoke with fake pleasure, standing close to his father.

"So," Uther said, and Merlin almost bumped into a glass of water, startling as he realized the man was addressing him, since there was no one else present in the room, "Mr. Emrys, I heard you’re going to UCL."

"Yes, sir," Merlin agreed, unable to bear Uther’s gaze head on for more than a few fractions of a second at a time.

"What are you majoring in?"

"Economics," Merlin replied.

"Ah, yes," Uther said, his expression so grave that Merlin did not know whether he was dissatisfied with the answer alone or with Merlin in general. "And how’s that turning out for you so far?"

"Oh... good, I guess." Merlin looked away and almost knocked the glass down again at the sound of Arthur’s voice, who had approached them without Merlin noticing.

"Nonsense," Arthur said, covering the mouthpiece of his cell phone. "His notes would have made Stephen Hawking jealous."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Merlin said automatically and then blushed at Uther’s intense stare.

"It’s true," Arthur confirmed, then took his hand from the mouthpiece, straightening up. "Yes, Mr. Odin. As I said, the project should be ready tomorrow–"

"He’s over exaggerating," Merlin said, picking up the papers again.

"Why didn’t you apply to Cambridge or Oxford?" Uther continued.

"Er... Actually, I did," Merlin admitted. "And I was accepted, but I liked the teaching methods here better," he lied.

The truth was that no matter how much his mother had insisted she would find a way, Merlin knew she couldn’t afford the expense. He would have to go back and forth every day, the bus schedules weren’t very flexible, and it was a really long trip to either University, which would prevent him from getting an internship. Or he would have to move to Cambridge or Oxford and find a way to finance himself, but the prospect of leaving his mother alone, worried constantly about whether he had money to eat and live, wasn’t pleasant either. Therefore, Merlin had preferred to stay in London and didn’t regret his decision for a moment. Not even at Uther’s reproachful look.

"I see," Uther said, though his tone indicated the opposite extreme. "Morgana told me that you know Gaius."

"Yes!" Merlin was happy about the topic change. "He’s my godfather. He’s the one who told me about the job, and he always talked about working here so fondly that I had no doubt that I needed to apply."

"I’m glad to hear it," Uther said and then amended quickly. "That he has such good memories from here. He certainly was a great employee, very dedicated and loyal. It’s a shame that he retired so early, but I imagine it was good for him to start his own business."

"Of course," Merlin agreed. "And he’s doing very well, actually. Have you seen his shop yet?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Uther frowned. "No, I’m afraid not."

"He’s been doing very well, especially after the last renovation, he expanded once after opening, and had to move most of his supplies from the back to upstairs so he could open up more space. People come from all corners of London to buy his ointments and tea. You should go and visit him sometime. I mean,” Merlin gulped, his eyes widening, "I’m not trying to tell you what to do, I just think it would be a good idea. He has a lot of respect for you and–"

"Merlin, I think my father understood what you meant." Arthur interrupted him, offering the cell phone back to his father and Merlin let his shoulders fall, relieved by the interruption. "And I have to agree with Merlin. Gaius would be very happy to see you."

"Right then," Uther put his cell phone aside and picked up his briefcase, getting up. "I’m going to try and stop by next week. Anyway, tell him I send my regards."

"Certainly," Merlin nodded readily.

"Great." Uther turned to Arthur and Merlin felt as if a weight had been lifted from his back. "Well, I must retire to my office now. I’m planning a lunch next Saturday, since you and Morgana have your schedules full this weekend. Try not to make any plans."

"No problem," Arthur said and they said good-bye.

"Jeez Louise." Merlin dropped into one of the chairs. "If you hadn’t interrupted me, I would probably be apologizing for not meeting his expectations and begging him not to sentence me to death for daring to tell him what to do."

Arthur laughed and sat down beside him. "Hey, you did well." He shrugged. "It took longer than usual for you to start jabbering away nervously– Ow!" He laughed and held the side of his body where Merlin had elbowed him. But when he spoke again, he was more serious. "Hey, don’t let him get to you. He’s like that with everyone. No one ever meets his expectations. Believe me, I’ve tried. "

Arthur lowered his eyes to the papers on the table and Merlin felt bad for him, trying to picture him as a child, excited, showing his grades full of A’s just to see his father criticize him for the only B. At that moment, he thought he could understand Arthur’s apprehension about telling his father about their relationship.

"So you have a full schedule this weekend, eh?" Merlin nudged him in an attempt to lift his mood.

"Yeah." Arthur looked up, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I’m babysitting this really stubborn kid."

"Oh, shut up," Merlin slapped him with the briefcase in his hand, "or I’ll show you just how stubborn this kid of yours can be. And I’m not talking about a hunger strike."

"Hmph," Arthur sniffed. "As if you had enough willpower to strike something, much less hunger! Or sex!"

"Why, you–" Merlin made a point of hitting him again, but he stood up, laughing. "We’ll see!"

.M.

"How horrible could this possibly get?" Merlin complained, frustrated. He was starving, with a pile of food in front of him and the damn chopsticks were not helping him get the food into his waiting mouth.

"No, you’re holding them wrong," Arthur said, standing up and positioning himself behind Merlin so he could hold his hand. "Hold it closer to the middle, now let them separate the width of a finger, they shouldn’t touch or cross when you open your hand.”

Merlin tried, but could barely move an inch. "I’m going to get cramps holding my hand like this!" he whimpered.

"Of course, you’re gripping them too tightly! It’s not a matter of strength, it’s a matter of skill and dexterity."

"But they’re sticks!" Merlin was exasperated. "Two stupid toothpicks! How do you expect me to get these... seaweed rolls and those huge chunks of chicken or whatever they are? It doesn’t make sense!"

Arthur looked away, making a strange expression. Merlin dropped the chopsticks.

"Do not you dare laugh at me!" Merlin scolded. "That’s it, isn’t it? You brought me here just to embarrass me!"

"Now don’t be stupid, Merlin." Arthur grew serious again. "It was you who insisted on not using a fork."

"You don’t need to use a fork! Besides, what’s the point of coming to a Japanese restaurant and not using the culturally appropriate tools?"

"A lot of people don’t use them." Arthur pointed to the tables around them. Most of the people in the restaurant were Japanese or of Japanese descent, but there were people of all races. A family at the nearest table chatted excitedly, not seeming to pay any attention to the scene Merlin had made.

"True, those children there are definitely using cutlery," Merlin quipped. "I feel much better now."

"Fine." Arthur pulled his chair closer to his and sat down. "Let’s try again. If you can’t do it, I’ll get silverware for me too, okay?"

Merlin let the air out of his lungs, feeling considerably less angry and ridiculously fond of him. "Okay." He tried to sound annoyed, though.

Arthur held up his chopsticks to demonstrate and straightened out Merlin’s until Merlin was able to take a piece of sushi to the mouth without it falling out of his grasp halfway. But the raw salmon – sashimi, Arthur corrected – didn’t stop slipping, making the sticks turn one over the other.

"Okay, I give up!" Merlin let go of the chopsticks, folding his arms and looking at the food with resentment. "Better ask for these cutlery soon if you don’t want to be embarrassed. I swear I’m about to grab at them with my bare fingers."

"Fine." Arthur took the sashimi with his own chopsticks. "Open your mouth."

"What? No!" Merlin’s eyes widened. "You will _not_ treat me like a child, Arthur!"

"Merlin!" Arthur grunted through his teeth. "I’m not treating you like a child! I’m trying to be romantic!"

"Oh..." Merlin exclaimed, surprised.

"Mouth," Arthur insisted. "Open it."

Merlin obeyed without complaining. "It’s really tasty," he had to admit. "But the texture is a bit... strange."

"You’ll get used to it, believe me." Arthur nodded and motioned for the nearest waiter. "Please, do you have an adapter?"

"Yes, sir." The waiter bowed slightly, reaching something in his pocket and handing it to Arthur. "Anything else, sir?"

"No, thank you." Arthur dismissed him, picking up what appeared to be a rubber mount and snuggling it into Merlin’s chopsticks. "Ready. Try now."

"Isn’t this cheating?" Merlin asked, testing his adapted tools, opening and closing the chopsticks like a pincher. "Oh! That’s better."

Picking up the food, however, was not as easy. He kept making the toothpicks twist  most of the time, but he wouldn’t give up so easily – though he saw nothing wrong with accepting whatever items Arthur put in his mouth. Then they moved on to the heavier items of the dishes in the center of the table.

"Now try the sushi," Arthur finally said. "Or as you called it, the seaweed."

"Don’t make fun of me!" Merlin threatened him with the chopsticks.

"I’m not! I swear!" Arthur defended himself in a tone that indicated the complete opposite. "And try not to squeeze so much or you’re really going to have cramp."

"I’m not squeezing."

"Your fingers are white," Arthur pointed out, arching an eyebrow amusingly.

"But do I have to put it all in my mouth?"

"Merlin, if you haven’t noticed, all the dishes are made in perfectly calculated sizes, not so small that you can’t get it with the chopsticks, but not so large that you can’t put it in your mouth all at once."

"What about this one?" Merlin was indignant, pointing to the larger one. "Look at the size of it!"

Arthur stared at him for a moment. "You’ve put bigger things in your mouth without complaining, Merlin."

"Yes, but I didn’t have to chew, did I?"

"Christ, Merlin." Arthur shrank back, picking up a sushi and offering it to Merlin. "I’ll remember to keep your mouth full from now on."

"Hey!" Merlin protested some time later, when Arthur made a point of taking the last sashimi.

"I was going to offer it to you, but you didn’t give me the chance," Arthur justified himself, but Merlin hit his chopsticks to push him away.

"Let me do it, then," Merlin insisted stubbornly, to which Arthur snorted, but turned away to watch while he ate.

Or try to eat. Somehow Merlin managed to knock the sashimi down before it reached his mouth. He stood still for some time staring at the piece of fish on the floor before raising his eyes to Arthur, who had an arched eyebrow and a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Merlin pouted, looking like a four year old that just dropped their ice cream cone.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Okay, I’ll order another portion," he said, already gesturing to the waiter.

"But I just wanted one more piece!"

"I’m sure you’ll change your mind by then."

As Arthur had foreseen, Merlin ate the whole portion alone and groaned as he let go of his chopsticks.

"Oh my God, I’m absolutely stuffed. I can’t possibly eat another bite."

"What about dessert?" Arthur asked almost innocently.

Merlin whimpered, running a hand over his belly, and Arthur laughed softly.

"If you want, I can ask for it to go and we can eat it later," he offered.

"No need, let’s wait a little, I’ll be fine."

Arthur was satisfied with the answer, drawing Merlin’s chair even closer and placing his arm over his shoulder. Merlin smiled and looked around. The decor of the restaurant was beautiful, the core colors red and black, with paper lamps hanging like balloons, floral prints and pictures of temples, flowering trees and Mount Fuji on the larger wall. The lighting was dimmed where they were seated, lending a romantic and welcoming feeling to the environment.

"I like it here," Merlin said.

"Good," Arthur nodded. "I like it here, too."

"What is your favorite food?" Merlin asked curiously.

Arthur frowned. "I don’t think I have a favorite food."

"But which one do you like the most? You’ve introduced me to Mexican, Chinese, French, and Japanese food. There must be one that you prefer over the others."

"I like them all the same," Arthur insisted, and Merlin stared at him. "I don’t have to choose when I can have all of them, do I?"

"Okay." Merlin gave up. "What’s your favorite color, then?"

Arthur shrugged. "Any color’s fine. Except maybe mustard yellow or moss green."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Music genre?"

"I like to listen to a little bit of everything," Arthur replied.

"I also listen to a little of everything, but I usually prefer pop rock, alternative rock and indie," Merlin shot back and then exasperatedly said. "You have to choose something!"

"No, I don’t," Arthur said stubbornly. "I like everything!"

"You know that ’everything’ includes opera and rap and–"

"Okay, maybe not everything, but I don’t have a favorite style. I don’t see the point in choosing."

"Favorite games?" Merlin tried again.

"Depends on my mood."

"Arthur, I’m trying to find your preferences here!" Merlin was exasperated.

"And how are these questions going to help you with that?"

Merlin opened his mouth to answer, but then closed again at the sight of Arthur’s crooked smile. "You’re doing this just to tease me, aren’t you?"

"Of course not," Arthur denied, but Merlin arched a brow. "Maybe, but only because you look cute when you’re all frazzled like that."

"I’m not frazzled," Merlin said poignantly.

Arthur brought their bodies closer. "Next question?" Arthur raised his eyebrows provocatively.

Merlin had to look away to hide a smile. "What’s your favorite character in the Harry Potter series?" Merlin asked.

Arthur scooted back. "What strange recesses of your mind do you pull these questions from?"

"Your favorite characters say a lot about you, you know? Now answer the question."

"Hmmm..." Arthur looked around as if searching for the answer in one of the decorative lamps. "Harry, I guess."

"Harry," Merlin repeated in disbelief, but Arthur merely shrugged. "Oh really?"

"Who’s _your_ favorite character?" Arthur shot back at him.

"Draco Malfoy."

"What?" Arthur sounded deeply offended. "Why would anyone like that spoiled and arrogant prat! He–"

"Hey, _relax_ , I’m just kidding!" Merlin rolled his eyes. "And he’s not just a spoiled and arrogant kid, he’s a lot more complex than that, not that I expect you to understand, of course, Gryffindor."

"Idiot." Arthur nuzzled the back of his neck. "So who is it then?"

"Hermione," Merlin replied promptly.

Arthur coughed something that sounded very much like ’nerd.’

"Hey, she’s not only smart, she’s determined, loyal–"

"I didn’t say anything." Arthur spread his hands in front of his chest.

"Okay, so why Harry?" Merlin nudged.

"Because he’s the hero," Arthur said, as if he were the obvious. "Because he had a fucking shitty childhood and never let himself be affected and never blamed his family for what happened, because he’s brave and loyal, because he embraced his fate as soon as he learned about it and was willing to give his life for the greater good. I respect that. I would’ve done the same for if I was in his place. "

"I know you would," Merlin declared, and that was the truth. He must’ve guessed that Arthur would identify with Harry. Merlin suspected that Arthur had not had an easy childhood with a father like Uther, but that hadn’t stopped him from being a good person.

"Okay, my turn." Arthur turned to Merlin, startling him. "What’s your favorite genre of books?"

"Fiction," Merlin replied promptly. "Preferably those books that blend adventure, romance and mystery."

"So children’s stories then," Arthur stared at him with superiority.

"Says the man who has an entire collection of children’s fiction in his house!" Merlin retorted.

"Those books were from when I was a teenager!"

"You must have been over twenty when the last Harry Potter book came out!"

"That was still almost ten years ago–"

"Oh, shut up." Merlin interrupted him. "Yes, I like grade school level fiction, so what? There’s nothing wrong with that!"

"Alright, you’re right!" Arthur said with his best mocking smile.

"What about you? What do you, in your full grown adulthood, like to read?"

"A little bit of everything, actually... but," he added before Merlin could voice his protest, "my favorite genre is poetry."

Merlin let out an incredulous laugh through his nose. "Of course it is," he quipped.

Arthur simply stared at him intensely before leaning in to speak into Merlin’s ear. "I love classical poetry," he continued unabashedly, and Merlin’s smile died slowly. "Long and deep and intense. In fact, more than reading, I like to make poetry, do you like to make poetry, Merlin?"

Merlin swallowed, avoiding his gaze. "Okay, I guess I’m ready for dessert now," he mumbled, causing Arthur to laugh.

.M.

As soon as they got home, Arthur had Merlin wait for him in his room.

"With clothes or no clothes?" Merlin asked, already in the middle of the flight of stairs.

"Surprise me," Arthur replied, waiting until he disappeared upstairs before entering his home office to retrieve a black leather briefcase.

Arthur opened it on the desk and examined its contents for what seemed like the thousandth time, wondering if he should bring it all up at once. Perhaps it would be wiser to take only one or two safer items, to start small. Or maybe he should let Merlin choose the ones he felt comfortable with...

Arthur sighed and closed the suitcase, taking it with him. He found Merlin lying on the bed already completely naked and cursed, leaving the briefcase on the edge of the bed before laying himself on top of Merlin, passionately kissing him. "What happened to the sex strike?" he asked, sliding his hand down Merlin’s thigh as he propped himself up on the mattress with the other.

"You’re right, I don’t have the slightest willpower," Merlin admitted, pulling him into another kiss. "Now how about that poetry?"

"Well, about that..." Arthur rose from him, sitting on his next heel and pulling the suitcase. "I’ve been shopping online."

"What?" Merlin also sat on the bed, his already semi-erect cock looking bigger now, without the hairs on his groin. "What did you get?"

"Open it up," Arthur encouraged him, watching Merlin’s face closely as he did so.

His eyes widened at once, and he covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh my God!" Merlin exclaimed and Arthur could not tell if he was excited or horrified.

"What do you think?" Arthur pressed, apprehensively, without taking his eyes off Merlin for a second. "We don’t have to use any of this if you don’t want to."

"I can’t believe you’ve been shopping for erotic accessories! How long have you been hiding this?"

"Since last week," Arthur admitted. "I planned to show it to you last weekend, but then you got sick..."

Merlin moaned. "I knew you had planned more than rides and shows." Merlin took one of the black velvet-clad leather bracelets, examining it. "What’s this for?" He pointed to the belt wrapped in the middle of the suitcase, curious.

"You connect it to the bed." Arthur took it off and uncoiled a little, showing the four ends. "To hold down hands and feet." He picked up a chain. "But they can be used only as handcuffs, also. The links are adjustable too."

"I thought you said you didn’t like handcuffs!" Merlin stared at him.

"Well, I’ve changed my mind," Arthur tried to sound casual.

"And these?" Merlin pulled another chain with two staples on the ends.

"Nipple clamps," Arthur observed as Merlin’s eyes threatened to jump out of their sockets. "Look," he took the item from Merlin’s hands and stuffed it back into the briefcase, closing it and causing Merlin to stare at him, still stunned. "We don’t have to use everything at once, we can start with one, or none, if you don’t want to–"

"You’re kidding, right?" Merlin took the case from his hand and opened it again. "I want to use everything! Can we use everything?"

Arthur blinked, pleasantly surprised. "Of course we can," he assured him.

Merlin smiled, taking the blindfold and turning it on his finger. "This is so... Fifty shades–"

"Stop right now or I swear you’ll never see that box again."

"I already stopped!" Merlin said, falsely innocent. "Should I put this on now or later?"

Arthur took the blindfold from his hand. "You’re going to lie down very still while I set everything up."

"Yes, your majesty." Merlin lay on the bed, his cock rising again.

Arthur removed the bracelets from the box and started at Merlin’s ankles, checking to make sure they weren’t too tight. "Is that good?" Arthur asked, just to be sure.

"It’s great," Merlin assured, shuffling his feet to test his mobility. "They’re so soft."

"Give me a hand," Arthur said, and started to button the third bracelet. "If you think it’s too much, just tell me and I’ll take them off. Anytime, understand?"

"Yes." Merlin nodded with a gentle smile on his face. "Don’t worry."

Arthur sniffed. "I’m tying you to my bed and you’re telling _me_ not to worry?"

"Yes," Merlin reinforced. "Because I’m cool, because I trust you, Arthur."

Arthur averted his eyes from his, finishing buckling the last bracelet and taking the belt. He gripped it from one side, wrist and ankle, then tossed it under the bed until it reached the other side, trapping the other two ends. Then he turned away to enjoy the result of his work. Merlin’s arms were stretched out, but he still had some mobility left. Already the legs were folded in the knees, the soles of the feet on the mattress and ajar to the maximum.

"Can you move your feet?" Arthur asked and Merlin tested, trying to close his legs, but he couldn’t get very far.

"A little," Merlin concluded, relaxing again with his legs spread wide open.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"No, but I’ll tell you if I start to feel discomfort."

"Fine." Arthur nodded, then took the blindfold and crawled over Merlin, still fully clothed. "Time to put this on." Arthur showed Merlin the blindfold before pulling it over his head, straightening it over his eyes. "Can you see anything?"

"Absolutely nothing," Merlin denied.

"Perfect." Arthur kissed Merlin’s chin and neck. "Now relax and enjoy."

Arthur kissed his lips for a long time, their bodies barely touching, until Merlin tried to move, seemingly forgetting the restraints.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked, staring at his covered face for any signs of discomfort.

"Mmhmm," Merlin nodded, his breath racing.

Arthur kissed him again until Merlin let out a small sound of approval while still kissing back. Then Arthur took his time with Merlin’s nipples, teasing them until they stiffened, the skin around them darkening. Arthur reached for the clamps in his briefcase next, and tried them on his own finger one last time before feeling satisfied. He clamped a nipple and gave it a slight tug, causing Merlin to let out a startled yelp.

"How’s it going so far?" Arthur asked after putting the other in place, pulling the chain between the clamps and making Merlin moan in return.

"I’m not sure," Merlin admitted, even though his cock was now fully erect.

"Do you want me to take them off?" Arthur offered.

Merlin shook his head. "No. Go on."

Arthur grabbed a pillow and told Merlin to raise his hips, placing it underneath. He took some time caressing Merlin’s legs, especially his thighs. Then he lowered himself between them and run his nose where his legs met his butt, taking in his scent and dragging his lips over the sensitive skin. Already intending on doing just that, Arthur had shaved before leaving for dinner, so as not to hurt Merlin with his scruff. Arthur pushed his buttocks apart, licking between them.

"Ah!" Merlin exclaimed, surprised, the muscles in his legs flexing as he tried to move, and Arthur smiled, pleased with himself.

He licked Merlin again, from his asshole to his testicles, causing him to utter a curse.

"I’m really proud of my work with the shaver," Arthur said before licking again. He had offered to shave Merlin’s hair with his electric razor the day before, and Merlin had reciprocated the favor, though he had not done as thorough a job as Arthur, especially down there. Arthur hadn’t minded Merlin’s hair before, but its absence definitely made it all the more enjoyable for him.

Arthur circled his tongue around the ring of muscles before thrusting the tip in, and Merlin moaned, trying to push himself against Arthur’s tongue. Merlin’s taste and scent there was unlike any other part of his body, but it wasn’t unpleasant and it was totally worth it to see Merlin squirm and moan under his ministrations. Arthur pushed his tongue deeper in and out, alternating his thrusts with licks around his hole as he drew back, allowing the saliva to gather and run down onto the pillow.

Arthur pulled his face away and sucked on two fingers, pumping them into Merlin and licking the skin around as it stretched to accommodate them.

"Uh, Arthur Jesus fuck!" Merlin groaned as Arthur touched his prostate and he heard the clack of the metal clasps as Merlin threshed. "So good!" He gasped. "So fucking good!"

Arthur continued to stimulate him, lapping up his perineum, testicles, and at the base of his thighs. He sucked on a third finger before adding it, and then it was his turn to curse, reaching into his own pants with his free hand. Merlin groaned and squeezing his intruding fingers while burying his heels on the mattress and moving his hips onto Arthur’s hand, fucking himself on his fingers.

"Arthur, _please_..." Merlin groaned, visibly enraptured.

Arthur cursed loudly, withdrawing his fingers. He crawled over Merlin and kissed him filthily. Merlin tried to move his arms and legs before giving up, bucking hips up against him instead.

Arthur tugged on the nipple clamps. "How’s it going up here?"

Merlin cried out, his cock twitching and leaving a trail of moisture on his abdomen. He licked his own lips to wet them before answering. "It’s great, actually."

"You have no idea how fuckable you look like this, Merlin," Arthur said against his mouth.

"Why are you still dressed, then?" Merlin whined, rubbing his knee over Arthur’s jeans.

"I’ll fix that in a minute." Arthur gave him one last peck before standing up, stripping without taking his eyes off Merlin, whose chest heaved, his lips parted and red. Arthur took the lube from the nightstand drawer and smeared it on himself before positioning back between Merlin’s legs.

Merlin hummed approvingly as he felt the movement on the mattress.

Arthur guided himself into him slowly until he was balls deep. "Is this what you want?" he teased.

"Yeeeeess!" Merlin threw his head back exposing his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

Arthur enjoyed the view while keeping a slow and steady pace. Merlin’s lips were swollen, his skin made even paler in contrast to the blindfold, his cheekbones flushed, his nipples stiff and dark compared to the metal of the clips and the chain connecting them, his cock full and dark, swaying as Arthur thrust into him, leaking out more pre-come.

"More, Arthur... Please... Faster," Merlin begged, his breath catching.

"Are you in a hurry to go somewhere, Merlin?" Arthur asked, keeping the pace slow.

Merlin shook his head.

"I asked you a question, Merlin," Arthur insisted.

"No, sire," Merlin replied. "I’m not."

"Neither am I." Arthur gripped Merlin’s thighs, fitting his own knees under the pillow below Merlin’s hips before resuming bucking his hips.

"Uh! Uh! Uh!" Merlin moaned as Arthur reached his prostate repeatedly, cursing under his breath, his words muffled by the sound of his butt slapping on Arthur’s thighs.

Arthur fumbled with one of the clamps on Merlin’s nipples and he whimpered, begging and squirming. Arthur ignored his requests, alternating the rhythm, faster, slower, faster again...

"Arthur... this is fuckinng torture!" Merlin gasped, forcing his cuffs. "You touched me everywhere... except _there_."

"I won’t touch your dick, Merlin."

"Why not?" Merlin sounded deeply wounded, lifting his neck of the bed as if facing him.

“Shit.” Arthur paused for a moment, gripping the base of his own shaft hard to keep himself in check. "Because I’m trying to make you cum untouched, that’s why!" he snapped.

"Oh..." Merlin let his head fall back onto the mattress again, panting. "Arthur, I don’t know if I can... I mean, I’ve never–"

"No problem," Arthur interrupted. "I just want you to try, okay? If you think you can’t, then we can try again another day. Just relax now, I’m not in a rush, are you?"

"No, I’m not," Merlin admitted.

"Are you uncomfortable, do you want me to take off the cuffs, or the clamps?"

"Not really, no." Merlin licked his lips. "Okay, go on."

Arthur pulled away for a moment just to add some more lube and pushed in again, adjusting the angle until he hit Merlin’s prostate again. Merlin moaned with each thrust, murmuring incoherently.

As much as he tried to look under control, Arthur was having a hard time fighting back the urge to increase the pace until he stuffed Merlin full with his cum, but he was determined not to orgasm yet. He toyed with Merlin’s clamped nipples without stopping fucking him, shifting his position from time to time so as not to overwork the muscles of his thighs and knees. He said dirty words and praised and encouraged and cursed.

The small pool of pre-come beneath Merlin’s belly button grew steadily, and he thrashed non-stop, the sweat rising from his skin and dampening his fringe. He bit his lower lip hard, trying to contain the moans that grew longer and louder. Arthur was already beginning to look hopeful when Merlin raised his head.

"Arthur, I can’t," he admitted, sobbing and Arthur froze, terrified. "I’m sorry. I can’t. Please." He bit his lower lip to suppress another sob.

"Merlin!" Arthur scolded, leaning over him to remove the blindfold.

Merlin blinked, struggling to open his eyes, but Arthur could see the tears welling up in them.

"Merlin," Arthur groaned, kissing him. "It’s okay, babe. Let’s get this over with."

Arthur removed the clamps from Merlin’s nipples and drew his knees closer, bringing Merlin’s hips up his own thighs. He reached for Merlin’s cock, jerking it as he moved, bending over to lick one of his sensitive nipples.

Merlin cried out and cursed and shuddered as he came, clutching Arthur almost painfully. Arthur thrust a few more times, still stroking him, until he spilled inside him with a grunt, resting his head onto Merlin’s shoulder as he rode out his orgasm. He withdrew then, kissing Merlin’s nipples apologetically before looking down at Merlin again. Merlin’s eyes were closed, his breathing still ragged, a bright tear track shining over one of his cheeks. Arthur kissed the corner of his eye, feeling the salt on his lips. He pulled the dampened fringe of Merlin’s forehead gently.

"Hey," Arthur called softly. "All right there?"

"Hm," came the reply as a barely audible murmur.

Merlin raised his eyebrows as if trying to open his eyes unsuccessfully, looking completely spent, and Arthur kissed his forehead before kneeling on the bed, removing the straps on Merlin’s wrists until the belt fell on the floor, releasing him. Arthur unfastened the bracelets then, kissing and massaging one limb at a time before moving to the ankles, dispensing the same careful treatment. Merlin let himself be handled without protest, dropping his hands and arms loosely on the bed. Arthur wiped them clean with a few tissues, pulling the pillow out from underneath Merlin and cleaning the mess of lubricant and semen between his legs.

Only then did Arthur lay down beside Merlin, caressing his face gently with his thumb.

"... mhh..." Merlin murmured, then cleared his throat before trying again. "I’m sorry."

"If you apologize again, you’ll be sleeping on the couch, you hear me?" Arthur warned, bringing him to his chest. "You should have told me earlier. You shouldn’t have waited so long, if you knew you couldn’t do it."

"But I wanted to–" Merlin whined and Arthur silenced him.

"Shhh... It’s okay. We can try again some other day. As many times as it takes, really. Just promise me you won’t allow it to get to that point again."

"I won’t." Merlin grabbed the hand caressing his face and kissed it’s palm. "I promise."

"Good," Arthur nodded. "Now go to sleep."

"I’m thirsty."

"I’ll bring you some water."

Arthur walked to the bathroom sink and filled a glass of water, helping Merlin sit up for a drink. Then he made the pillows so that Merlin could lay down on them and settled down beside him again.

"Arthur?" Merlin called, snuggling into him.

"Yes, baby?"

"That was the best poetry of my entire life," he murmured. "Epic."

Arthur laughed, kissing his forehead. "Epic, indeed," he agreed and lulled him to sleep.

.Merlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ _Cheap Thrills – Sia_  
>  ² _What do you mean? – Justin Bieber_  
>  ³ _Hands to Myself – Selena Gomes_  
>  **Warning:** a little bit of bondage, very light though.


	22. Part 2 - Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The rest of the week went by in the blink of an eye in Merlin's opinion. 

Arthur had taken him to the movies on Thursday,  and on Friday they had briefly gone into the pub to have a drink with the office staff before they went dancing. This time, Gwaine took them to a different nightclub, a larger one, with podiums where dragons and gogo boys danced. Enraptured, Merlin couldn’t take his eyes off the dancers. As much as he tried not to stare, for the sake of Arthur's sanity, his eyes were always drawn in, captured by the colors and the glitter of oil-baked skin.

One of the gogo boys had invited Merlin to join him on the small stage, but a glance at Arthur was enough for him to decline the invitation. Gwaine offered himself up instead and spent a few minutes dancing on the platform while Percy drank and watched from the bar. Far from being resentful, Merlin dragged Arthur into a dark room and he sucked Arthur off, making a show of the simple act of putting on lip gloss before.

Ever since Wednesday night, when they had used the special items in Arthur's briefcase, however, the blonde had been somewhat reluctant to do anything but use Merlin’s hands and mouth  – and the gap between Merlin's thighs on one occasion. Merlin had been very sore the next day, and although he had not mentioned it to Arthur to keep him from worrying over him, Merlin sometimes had the impression that he couldn’t hide anything from him. Come Saturday, though, Merlin was getting impatient, because his mother would be back the next day and they would have to go back to the normal routine  – the only difference that Hunith now knew about them, so they wouldn’t have to worry about raising suspicion from her.

" _ And how is the honeymoon? _ "  Hunith’s voice, amplified by the speaker, teased.

Merlin moaned. He was bent over his suitcase, trying to sort out the mess he had made in the past few days, deeply regretting that he hadn’t accepted Arthur's offer to store his clothes in the closet as soon as he arrived.

"Mum ..." he whined, straightening up. "Stop talking about it. We're not on a honeymoon."

" _ But it's as if you are _ !" Hunith insisted. " _ I remember the first vacation that your father and I took together. He insisted on bringing me breakfast in bed and I pretended not to mind eating burnt sausages. I never told him that I liked my eggs with less salt, but I never let him get close to the stove again.  Has Arthur made breakfast for you? _ "

"God, no." Merlin tried to picture Arthur on the stove, burning sausages, but it was too surreal for his fertile imagination. "But sometimes he brings food back from his run."

" _ Oh, he runs? _ "

"Every morning," Merlin confirmed, folding his clean clothes again. "He's also very careful about what he eats and exercises regularly."

" _ And you don’t run with him? _ "

"Err ... No?" Merlin frowned, threatening to turn a blind eye to the absurdity of that question.

" _ And why not? _ " Hunith pressed.

"Mum..." Merlin actually rolled his eyes this time, about to defend himself, but Hunith ignored him.

" _ It would be good for you to get some kind of daily exercise, you know. _ "

_ " _ Some kind of daily exercise? _ " _ Merlin stared at the phone on the bed in indignation. "Do you have any idea how many boxes I carry every day? Not to mention that I must have worn a path in  the floor of the sector for how many times I have to go get files, and the stairs, do you know how many times I have to go up and down those damn stairs every day? I'm on the seventh floor! Meanwhile, Arthur gets his butt comfortably tucked into his cushioned chair, so it's only fair that I sleep a few more minutes while he burns some calories!"

" _ I'm sure your job is very tiring, Merlin, _ " Hunith conceded, though she didn’t sound very impressed. " _ But it doesn’t count as a physical activity and you know it. _ "

"How can it not count?" Merlin threw his hands up, sitting on his heels. "I go hiking every day, from home to the subway, from the subway to the office, and so on!"

" _ You’re still going to work by subway? _ " Hunith was surprised. " _ Why? I thought you were together! _ "

"Well, I've been hitchhiking this week, but Monday's back to what it was before. Even in the last few days, Arthur will leave me a couple of blocks from the office and I'd just walk up... "

" _ I see, _ " Hunith said,  Merlin bit his lower lip, trying to interpret the emotion hidden behind that simple words. She had not been happy that Merlin had hidden her relationship from her, but Merlin was not sure if her mother really understood why they were keeping it a secret. Not even Merlin was sure he understood most of the time.

"But we went home together," Merlin added when she said nothing else.

" _ How is he? _ " Hunith changed the subject and Merlin nodded to himself before turning his attention back to his suitcase again.

"Well. He's in the living room watching a football game." Merlin couldn’t contain the disdain in his own voice. Apparently, Arthur's favorite team was competing for a championship. Gwaine had said something in the pub the night before about the guys usually getting together at one of them to watch the games together and that it was Elyan's turn but Arthur had made up some excuse not to show up. Later, on the way to the nightclub, Merlin had said that he didn’t care if Arthur wanted to go  –  as Merlin had also been invited, in case Arthur was worried about leaving him alone in the apartment  – but Arthur had refused, saying he wasn’t in the mood to spend more time near Gwaine than strictly required. Merlin tried not to get upset about it, wondering if Arthur wasn’t just preventing his friends from seeing them together again, but he hadn’t had much success on that front.

" _ Well, you should join him, then, if you want to enjoy the rest of the weekend. I know you aren’t missing me, but... _ "

"Of course I'm missing you!" Merlin interrupted her, continuing with feigned seriousness. "You know, Arthur has taken me to a bunch of fancy restaurants, all very nice, but I kinda miss your food, not to mention the pile of dirty clothes that just keeps growing."

" _ Do your own laundry for a change, I’m not your maid! _ " Hunith lectured and Merlin smiled. " _ By the way, I'd better go help Meg with lunch. I can hear her getting out the pots. She always tries to do everything before I show up, but the house is small. It's kind of hard to keep things hidden here. _ "

Merlin said goodbye to his mother and hung up the phone, sighing as he looked around. His mother was right, he should be enjoying the little time he had with Arthur. Merlin liked his bedroom, though his bed was too narrow and squeaky when he moved and his mattress had a dent in it the exact shape of merlin’s body where he slept in the same position every night since he had gotten the old thing, but he'd had no problem adjusting to Arthur's room  –  who would? He would miss that huge, comfortable bed, the warmth of Arthur's skin, even his soft snoring  –  though Arthur would never admit to snoring and was indignant every time Merlin said otherwise. Not to mention that wonderful shower, and you couldn’t forget the tub!

Well, if he were to be honest with himself, Merlin knew what he would miss most was Arthur. He would probably love to have the company of the blonde even if it was in a cave.

Merlin closed the suitcase and got up, crossing the room and reaching for the doorknob, but stopped before opening the door. He could hear the noise of the television, the constant uproar of the crowd, the voice of the announcer narrating the match... Merlin bit his lower lip, an idea forming in his mind. He smiled to himself and turned back.

.M.

"Yeah, yeah ..." Arthur said as the forward fired into the goal. "Now pass the ball, pass to – Ah, come on!" Arthur threw his hand up when the referee whistled a foul. "He threw himself on the floor, you idiot!"

Arthur shook his head and took a sip of his beer, glancing back as Merlin approached. Arthur was already turning back to the TV when his brain processed what he saw.

"Hey," Merlin said, approaching, wearing Arthur's captain's shirt and... nothing more. At least nothing Arthur could see under his long, loose shirt.

"Were you talking to your mother like that?" Arthur asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What if I was? She couldn’t see me, could she?" Merlin shrugged, standing in front of him.

Arthur reached out and lifted his shirt to peer underneath, with a breath of relief to see that he wore black underwear. Arthur's gaze was drawn to the prominent bones of Merlin's hip, then. That sight never failed to make Arthur want to grab him by the waist and bring him closer.

"You know it's not my amateur team who's playing, right?" Arthur asked instead, dropping Merlin's T-shirt with a tug in an attempt to disguise his excitement in a bad mood.

Merlin only shrugged, folding his arms. At that moment there was a commotion from the crowd and Arthur turned his eyes to the TV, having to turn a little to the side, since Merlin had blocked part of his vision.

"Sit down, Merlin," Arthur said, his attention turned to the game again. "Oh, and feel free to get a beer if you want."

"No, thank you." Merlin sat beside him, stretching his legs on the coffee table. Again, Arthur's gaze was drawn to those long, slender legs. "How's the game?"

Arthur blinked, looking back at the screen.

"A little stressful," Arthur admitted, wrapping an arm around Merlin's shoulders, holding him strapped over the sofa seat. "No one has scored yet, but there have been several failed attempts on both sides. Are you sure you don’t want a beer?" Arthur offered his bottle.

"I'm fine," Merlin assured him, squeezing Arthur's thigh  – dangerously close to his crotch, making Arthur leap in surprise. Merlin, however, didn’t seem to realize what he had done, leaning more comfortably on the couch, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder quietly.

Arthur took another sip of his beer and returned to watch the match. Or tried, as Merlin kept moving. They were so close that Merlin couldn’t stop bumping into him and those little accidental touches were making Arthur's concentration difficult. At least until a very risky shot from one of the opposing team's top scorers.

"No, no... Yes!" Arthur let the air out of his lungs as the goalie threw himself into the ball, hugging it and holding it securely to his chest in a firm grip.

"Wow, that was close," Merlin said sympathetically. "You know, I think I'll take a sip of your beer." He reached for the bottle of Arthur's hand and straightened up on the couch, taking big swigs. Arthur found himself staring at his Adam's apple as he swallowed it.

"I'm sorry." Merlin shook the empty bottle and got up. "I'll get another one for you," he said, already pulling away, and Arthur followed the whole way he walked into the kitchen, mesmerized by the swaying of his T-shirt as he walked.

Arthur nodded to himself, turning back again in time to see the referee whistling another foul dangerously close to the wide area.

"Oh, come on..." Arthur complained, throwing his hands up. "Not this again!"

"Looks like everyone’s getting a little exalted," Merlin commented as he returned with two bottles in his hand, offering one to Arthur.

"Number nine is practically throwing himself on the floor every time someone gets close enough," Arthur explained, angrily. "Anyone with eyes can tell he’s trying to get a penalty!"

"Well, someone has to score the first goal." Merlin shrugged, then sat down next to him. "Maybe he’s trying to speed things along."

"It's a possibility, but I'd be better off if it was my team to score, if you don’t mind."

"I don’t care." Merlin took Arthur's arm and passed it over his own shoulder, nestling into his chest.

Far from trying to pull away, Arthur smoothed Merlin's arm, bringing him closer. He knew that Merlin didn’t like football and even offered to take him out so as he wouldn’t give into temptation and watch the game  – after all, Merlin would leave the next day and he wanted to make the most of these last few hours  – but Merlin had been quite understanding about it, saying that Arthur should watch while he arranged his things and called his mother.

Arthur’s team was almost in the lead with an ingenious free kick routine 30 minutes into the match, but the ball just grazed over the net.

"Ouch," he complained as he felt a sharp pain in his biceps and turned to see Merlin with his teeth sunk into his bare arm  – Arthur was wearing his shorts and the T-shirt he used to exercise  – staring at him. "What are you doing?"

Merlin bit at him one last time before kissing the beaten-down spot. "Sorry," he bit his lower lip. "I'm bored."

Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked at the timer in the bottom corner of the screen that showed how long the game had been going on.

"There's still a bit of time before the break," Arthur said, pulling him closer again, unable to be angry with Merlin when he looked at him like that  – his face lowered and eyes as big as a pup. "But I promise I’ll take care of you at halftime."

"Or you can do it now," Merlin offered, kissing Arthur’s neck. Arthur was about to say it was a great offer, but that he would need some time to think about it, when the fans went crazy again.

"Shit, watch out!" Arthur scolded the TV and only realized he had gotten up when he heard Merlin cursing, losing his balance and falling sideways on the couch. "I'm sorry, baby," Arthur said, helping him straighten up as he glanced at the TV, worried about the advancement of the opposing team. As the ball hit the beam, Arthur settled back in and allowed himself to relax, the apprehension transformed into rage as he cursed his team’s poor defense.

Arthur felt a weight on his thighs and lowered his eyes to see Merlin with his head resting on them, his body half stretched out on the couch and the beer half abandoned on the coffee table. Arthur let his hand slide down Merlin's chest, thrusting a hand under his T-shirt and stroking it with his thumb as he took another swig from his bottle to force himself to look away from the bulge in Merlin's underwear.

The next few minutes were pure torture, both inside and outside the match. While a player on his team was getting a yellow card for a foul that he hadn’t committed, Merlin kept moving, making Arthur's hand slip into his abdomen. Merlin also stretched himself in such an obscene way that Arthur was forced to fidget to better accommodate his semi-erection in his shorts. Unfortunately  – or fortunately, depending on the point of view  – the movement didn’t go unnoticed to Merlin, who turned his head to face Arthur's crotch, looking at him then with an arched eyebrow.

"You really like watching football, don’t you?" He teased.

Arthur averted his eyes. "Oh, shut up," he said, trying to focus on the match again, but it was difficult with Merlin poking his cock with the tip of his nose. "Merlin, it's only eight minutes..."

"You can ignore me, if you like," Merlin said, pulling off his shirt and turning upside down on the couch, his feet up, offering him a perfect view of his bottom as he pulled back the elastic of Arthur's shorts and thrust his face into his underwear. "I'm going to enjoy my seven minutes in heaven," he said before licking Arthur’s cock.

"Nghh," Arthur grunted, reaching for Merlin's head with the intention of dislodging him, but ended up holding it in place as he snatched it.

Arthur tried to pay attention to the game. He really did, but the movement of Merlin's feet distracted him, as did the contrast of pale skin with his black underwear, or the noises he made as he sucked enthusiastically, rubbing himself against the couch  – all this without counting what Merlin’s mouth and tongue were doing to Arthur.

"All right, forget the break," Arthur said, pulling Merlin through his hair until he stared at him, panting, his eyes dark with desire. "Let's go upstairs right now."

Arthur kissed him before Merlin could protest. Then he rose, pulling Merlin with him.

"We don’t have to go up there," Merlin said as Arthur pushed him toward the stairs. "We can continue here on the couch, so you can follow the game – "

"We'll need the lubricant for what I want to do with you, Merlin," Arthur interrupted. He had restrained himself after the last time they had sex, feeling guilty for having forced Merlin more than he should, stretching things too long and making him sore the next day, but he could no longer contain himself in his need to be inside of Merlin.

"But – "

"Keep going," Arthur instructed, thrusting his hand into Merlin's underwear and sliding his fingers between his butt cheeks. Then Arthur froze for a moment before cursing. "What the hell, Merlin?"

They had reached the foot of the staircase, but they did not even begin to climb the steps before Arthur pushed Merlin against the nearest wall, lowering his underwear quickly and digging a finger inside Merlin with ease. When he took it out again, it was slightly shiny.

"That's what I was trying to say," Merlin said, his face pressed against the wall. "You won’t need lubricant."

"Christ, Merlin." Arthur held Merlin by the shoulders, turning him and pressing him against the wall. "This whole time you were– Why didn't you– Fuck!" Arthur stopped talking and kissed him.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, moaning an approval, his own erection stuck between their bodies. During the kiss Arthur thought quickly about his options. He could go back to the couch, or maybe take Merlin to the nearest table, since the room now seemed impossibly far away. In fact, even the table seemed too far away. In the end, Arthur pulled off Merlin's underwear, lowered his own shorts, and pressed Merlin even harder against the wall, lifting one of his legs for better access.

Moistening his dick with his own spit, Arthur grunted as he imagined Merlin getting ready in his room, planning all that seduction to make him quit watching the game. The announcer continued to recount the match, but Arthur could no longer remember what was so interesting about it now that he was pressed up against Merlin.

"Do you want me to push you hard?" Arthur asked, steadily thrusting into Merlin as Merlin shouted an ecstatic “Hell yeah!”

"Ah!" Merlin moaned, closing his eyes tightly and leaning his head against the wall.

"Damn it, Merlin," Arthur cursed, plunging his face into the curve of Merlin's neck as he gave him time to adjust to the intrusion, then grabbed his other thigh and pulled until Merlin took  the hint and lifted his leg. Arthur held his weight with the help of the wall behind him.

Then Arthur began to move, using the weight of Merlin's body to his advantage as he pushed against the wall. Merlin pulled him into an awkward kiss, but interrupted it to curse and moan. Arthur thrust his face between Merlin's neck and shoulder, panting too much to do anything but breathe and move. Inside and out, inside and out...

"Arthur – " Merlin gasped and Arthur snapped the space that had formed stubbornly between them, squeezing Merlin’s cock and balls, in order to stimulate him as he was thoroughly penetrated. Merlin squealed and tossed his head back again, whimpering, his neck and face blushing even as his orgasm approached. Somewhere deep in his mind, Arthur heard the cry of a goal  and the celebration of the crowd, but at the moment he couldn’t care less who had scored.

"Cum for me, Merlin," Arthur encouraged. "Cum for me."

Merlin was quick to shout his name, painting them with his seed, and Arthur let himself be carried away by his own orgasm, taking full advantage of it before stopping, panting.

"My legs..." Merlin moaned and Arthur released him slowly, leaning against him as much as the opposite.

"So... You were deliberately trying to seduce me," Arthur said as he caught his breath.

"I'm glad you noticed," Merlin murmured, his arms slack but still wrapping around Arthur's neck, holding it in place.

"How about a shower?"

Merlin stepped back to face him. "What about the game?"

"Fuck the game." Arthur kissed him.

.Merlin.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked the next morning, as he left the bathroom and found Merlin standing, wearing jeans and a light T-shirt.

Merlin was tempted to say that he had no idea what he was doing, it was seven o'clock on a Sunday morning and he was hung over. He hadn’t even had five hours of sleep, for God's sake!

"I'm gonna run with you," Merlin said instead, trying not to sound as petulant as he felt about what he was signing himself up for.

"Why?" Arthur pressed, sitting on the edge of the bed to put on his sneakers. "You hate running."

"I want to test your playlist," Merlin murmured, leaning over to put on his sneakers too.

"My what?"

"Your playlist," Merlin insisted, ignoring Arthur's questioning look. "The one I put on your cell phone yesterday."

"Oh, is that what you were doing?"

"Yep!" Merlin dropped into bed, half-sitting, half-lying, after shoving on his sneakers. "My God, I’m so knackered..."

Merlin peeked at Arthur with one eye as Arthur lay on top of him.

"You know you don’t have to run with me, don’t you?" Arthur asked, staring into his eyes, his arms resting on the mattress to relieve some of his weight. "I don’t mind going by myself."

"I know, it's just..." Merlin sighed. "This is our last day, I want to make the most of it, even if my head is about to explode."

"We can wait until the aspirin takes effect," Arthur offered, stroking Merlin's chin with his thumb before kissing him, but Merlin averted his face before he could deepen the kiss, pushing Arthur away.

"This is so unfair," Merlin complained. "Why don't you have a hangover? You drank a lot more than I did!"

"And who said I don’t have a hangover?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Okay, let's get this over with." Merlin got up and went to the bathroom. "I'm just going to brush my teeth. Will you lend me your wireless headphones?"

"Of course," Arthur said, staring at Merlin's legs with an arched eyebrow.

"What is it?" Merlin stared at his legs, confused.

"Are you going dressed like that?" Arthur said, pointing at Merlin's pants.

"Yeah," Merlin shrugged. "I didn’t bring any clothes to exercise. I thought all the physical activity I’d do would be in bed."

Arthur moistened his lips before moving away toward his closet. "Here." he put a pair of shorts on the bed when he returned to his room. "I'll be waiting downstairs," he warned.

When he came down, Merlin met Arthur with two cups of protein shake, one of which he insisted Merlin take before they left. The first few blocks were excruciating. Merlin almost gave up and turned back, but the music eventually helped to get him into the rhythm. He had downloaded an app on Arthur's cell phone and set up a playlist with some of the more lively hits of the eighties and nineties, especially for the occasion.

"Not bad at all," Arthur admitted, some time later. Merlin knew that he must be making a tremendous effort to keep pace bearable by the way he sometimes stepped up without realizing it, reducing it by noticing that Merlin was struggling to accompany him.

"So you can... remember me... while you run." Merlin gasped.

Arthur stepped forward until he was in front of him, running backwards to face him. "Ah, so this was your master plan!"

"Of course it was." Merlin paused, holding the side of his body. "Oh shit... I can’t take it anymore... I need a break." He removed his headphones, hanging them around his neck.

"Oh, come on, there's not much left," Arthur urged, jogging in place.

“Stay still for just a moment, you're making me dizzy."

Arthur laughed, but stopped, moving closer as he paused the song on his cell phone, pulling out the headphones.

"How about resting there next," Arthur offered, pointing to a tall, mirrored building on the next block. "We can stop by the gym."

"What part of 'I'm dying' didn’t you understand?"

"You don’t have to exercise with me." Arthur rolled his eyes. "You can sit on one of the benches and rest while I–"

"You had me at ‘you can sit’," Merlin said, straightening up to gauge the distance to the building. "What are the chances of you carrying me there?"

"Come on, move already." Arthur grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him to the gym.

Arthur asked for a temporary card so Merlin could use the gadgets if he wanted, but Merlin simply lay down on one of the benches near the entrance, covering his eyes with one arm as he caught his breath. God, he was pathetic. Merlin hated to admit it, but his mother was probably right about his sedentary lifestyle.

When he had recovered enough to sit down, Merlin took some time to find Arthur. He glimpsed his sneakers first, as he was lying down on one of the benches, lifting weights. Merlin felt tired just watching him, but he had to admit that seeing Arthur exercising was also turning him on.

"The music here is awful," Merlin said as he approached, only to realize that Arthur had been talking to a girl running on the treadmill next to him.

"It can’t even dream of comparing to your playlist," Arthur said, lifting his dumbbell again.

"That looks heavy." Merlin stood beside him, folding his arms and pretending not to notice the girl.

"Do you want to try?" Arthur offered, dropping his dumbbell and sitting down.

"Maybe another day," Merlin quipped.

"Come on, I'll make it lighter for you," Arthur insisted, but Merlin shook his head.

"I'd rather not play the fool. I know you're strong, you don’t have to humiliate me to prove it to anyone."

"Oh, I've seen Arthur lift a lot more than that," the girl said, and Merlin raised an eyebrow. She looked even more beautiful up close, her calves twisted, her perfect ponytail, and her teeth ridiculously white.

"And you are...?" Merlin asked as Arthur stepped back to do sit-ups.

"Daisy," the girl introduced herself, holding out her hand without pausing her run.

"Merlin." He forced a smile as he accepted the greeting. "So, Daisy, do you always come here?"

"Almost every day." Daisy smiled. "But I don’t remember seeing you around here before."

"Maybe because I've never been here before," Merlin snubbed, turning to Arthur. "Have you known each other for a long time?"

"We started talking a few months ago." Daisy stepped forward again. "I mean, we've known each other for a while, but I used to come in the afternoon so we didn’t meet often, but I changed my schedule recently."

Merlin snorted. "I wonder why?"

"What did you say?" Daisy sounded confused.

"I said that's great." Merlin forced a smile again.

"Oh, yeah," she agreed, seeming oblivious to his sarcasm. "Arthur’s very motivated, isn’t he?"

"I know, he won’t give me a moment’s rest."

"Is he helping you with your sets also?" Daisy sounded interested.

Merlin's nostrils flared at the 'also.'

"I think I'll go assist Arthur with his set," Merlin said, ignoring the girl's question. "He seems to need help, doesn’t he?"

Merlin walked away without waiting for an answer. He sat on top of Arthur's feet and rested his arms on Arthur’s knees so as every time he did a sit up, their faces were inches away. He wanted to kiss Arthur to teach a lesson to Daisy, but this was Arthur’s safe place and Merlin couldn’t ruin it for him. If anyone was going to start PDA, that someone should be Arthur, not Merlin. However, with a little luck, Merlin could plant a seed of doubt in the girl's head.

"So..." Merlin said nonchalantly. "Daisy, huh?"

"You're not being subtle at all," Arthur said between sit ups.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, you’re so cute when you’re jealous." Arthur offered him a half smile.

"Have I told  you to fuck off today?" Merlin returned, with false sweetness.

"See?" Arthur whispered. "Cute."

"She changed her schedule because of you! I think I'm in my right to be jealous, thank you." Merlin looked away from Arthur's and caught the eye of Daisy, who glanced down quickly after she was caught, blushing.

"Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur scoffed. "She said she changed her schedule because of work."

"Oh, of course she said," Merlin quipped. "After all, you've known each other for months!"

Arthur merely smiled and moved his lips with the word "cutie," to which Merlin pinched his thigh before rising. Arthur used two more devices to work the back and front of his thigh, and Merlin insisted on blocking Daisy's vision as he exercised. For some reason, Arthur seemed extremely pleased to leave the gym.

Merlin snorted. "You were doing it on purpose!" he accused him, running faster to vent his anger.

"What, me exercising? At the gym?" Arthur didn’t seem to struggle to keep up with Merlin, despite having spent the last forty minutes pulling iron, which only made Merlin's mood worse.

"I'm talking about you being deliberately flirting with that girl!"

"I was not flirting with her, Merlin. I hardly even know her. I don’t go to the gym much, you know."

"You had your charm mode on and I ..."

"My what?"

"Your charm mode, the one you use to delight your customers, and it's no use denying it, I've seen your presentations often enough to recognize it, you're not usually nice to strangers unless you want something from them..."

"Hold up!" Arthur interrupted him. "Now you're being childish, Merlin."

"Oh, now I'm being childish? Because until now you were finding it cute – Ouch!" Merlin stepped on the twisted cement and had to lean against the nearest wall to keep from falling, keeping his right foot suspended in the air.

"What's it?" Arthur approached, suddenly concerned.

"I hurt my ankle." Merlin frowned, trying to rest his foot on the ground, and Arthur stopped him.

“Come on, lean on me." Arthur passed Merlin's right arm over his shoulders, but Merlin moaned in pain as he tried to hobble a few steps. "Okay, that will  _ not _ work." Arthur stopped, dropping Merlin's arm and placing himself in front of him and squatted. "Hop on."

"What?" Merlin thought he did not get it right, but Arthur insisted, looking over his shoulder at him.

"Let's go, I'll carry you."

"Up to your apartment? Are you crazy?"

"You're not that heavy," Arthur scoffed. "Come on!"

Merlin looked at him dubiously, but ended up accepting, riding on Arthur's back and wrapping his arms around him. Arthur slipped his arms under Merlin’s knees and headed back to the apartment. Merlin bravely resisted the urge to treat him like a horse up until about halfway, when he couldn’t hold it in any longer and pretended pull at imaginary reigns with a cry of ‘giddy up!’. Arthur didn’t find it as funny as Merlin did and  threatened to throw him in the nearest trash can if he did it again.

Arriving at the apartment, Merlin limped to the couch and refused to go to the hospital for a brace or cast. "It's not hurting any more," he assured, propping his foot on the coffee table. "I probably just twisted my ankle. If it was broken it would already be swollen."

"So you made me carry you here for nothing?" Arthur asked as he took off Merlin's sneakers and socks to examine his ankle, comparing one to the other.

"Well, I was tired after watching you work out so hard." Merlin shrugged. "Do you know how tiresome that was to see you exert yourself so much??"

Arthur merely stared at him with narrowed eyes before tossing the sock into his face. "You lied to me!" he got up and went to the sink to fill a glass of water.

"What? No! I walked wrong! My foot was aching, but it's gotten better!"

"You did it on purpose then, just so you didn’t have to walk all the way back! "

"Why would I risk twisting my foot on purpose? " Merlin was indignant.

"Because you were mad at me for that girl, Rose."

"Daisy!" Merlin corrected.

"Whatever." Arthur returned to Merlin and set a glass of water on the coffee table, crossing his arms, making his muscles bulge. "Drink."

Merlin slumped, defeated. He really had been upset, but now that the situation had passed, he was beginning to find his reaction a bit over the top. The truth was that, deep down, he'd hoped Arthur would do something to break the girl's hopes, like kissing Merlin in the middle of the gym. But Arthur had done nothing of the sort. To Daisy, or anyone else watching them, they were probably just good friends.

"Look, Arthur–" Merlin began to apologize, but Arthur cut him off.

"Forget it, Merlin." He sat down beside him and pulled him closer. "I don’t want to argue about it, or anything, really."

Merlin knew what he meant. They only had a few hours before they had to pick up his mother from the airport, so they didn’t have any time to waste on silly arguments.

"I confess, I like the attention. Not hers!" Arthur hastened to say when Merlin threatened to whack him. "It's good to see you jealous for a change."

"Are you admitting you get jealous because of me, Arthur?" Merlin asked in a false tone of innocence.

"No," Arthur shook his head. "I have no reason to be, I’m too amazing for you to leave."

Merlin bit his lip in response to Arthur's penetrating gaze. He ran his hand over Arthur's biceps, squeezing them. Merlin loved Arthur's muscles, and the way they flexed as he worked out was so sexy it should be illegal. "I don’t  _ like _ the idea of other people looking at you, but I certainly can’t blame Daisy for enjoying the view," he admitted.

Arthur offered him a convincing smile. "She can only look," he shrugged. "You can even bite, if you feel like. Actually, I think I still have the mark here, somewhere... Oh, here it is." He pointed to the spot where Merlin had bitten him the day before, and Merlin felt himself blushing when he recognized the shape of his teeth.

"Hmmm... I can make a mark on your other arm, for symmetry of course," Merlin offered, and Arthur laughed, leaning his head against the back of the sofa. Merlin leaned over and kissed him.

"Your ankle!" Arthur remembered, but Merlin ignored him, sitting on his lap, straddling him.

"I told you it's not hurting," Merlin assured him, holding his face before rejoining his lips.

Arthur hummed, moving away. "I was going to drop by the cafe to buy something for us to eat."

"I'm not hungry," Merlin assured him, and Arthur arched a brow in disbelief. "I'm not hungry  _ yet, _ I can make us something later, I just want to enjoy you a little more."

"Take your time," Arthur conceded, grabbing his waist and pulling him into another kiss. 

They kept touching each other over their clothes for what seemed like hours. Whenever Arthur tried to reach into his trousers, Merlin stopped him, not wanting to end it too soon. Suddenly he understood why Arthur had been so reluctant to take him to bed the first time. They ought to have taken their time getting to know each other first, enjoying the snogging, the touching, the grabbing... There was something exciting about waiting that Merlin had not been able to appreciate, die to his impatience with his virginity. Or maybe it was just the heat of the moment that made him feel that way, knowing that they would soon have to part again.

"Merlin," Arthur whispered his name as if it were something precious, as he manhandled Merlin until he was lying on the couch. "Merlin," he repeated, lying on top of him.

Merlin felt himself flooding with an emotion far greater than arousal or desire. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what, or how. He wanted to say he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want have to leave ever again. He wished he could stay forever, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t vocalize his desires, for it didn’t depend on his decision alone, all he could do was accept what Arthur offered with his gestures and try to show how he felt without putting it to words, offering his body so that Arthur could do whatever he wanted with it.

"I want to make love to you," Arthur said, as if reading Merlin’s mind, and Merlin pulled him down to another kiss.

Arthur all but carried him upstairs, laying him on the bed and undressing him unhurriedly, paying lots of attention to the most sensitive parts of Merlin's body, as if intending to crawl right under his skin. Arthur prepared him carefully with his fingers and Merlin restrained the urge to rush him, keeping in mind that he wanted it to last forever, if possible. As Arthur entered him, Merlin welcomed the pain, the burning of his stretching muscles, until there was nothing left but pleasure.

Arthur was uncommonly quiet, this time. Merlin loved it when he talked dirty, but he found out that he also loved those intense stares just as much. They held each other’s eyes long and piercingly, shared panting kisses and tender touches.

"Tell me when you want it to end," Arthur whispered in his ear after what felt like an eternity before straightening his spine, bringing Merlin's hips over his thighs in that particular way, allowing him to reach his prostate at each stroke, causing little shocks of pleasure which added to the constant delight of Arthur's cock sliding in and out of him.

The truth was Merlin didn’t want it to ever end. He knew he’d be sore afterwards, but he wanted to remember this moment for days and days to come. He wanted to keep Arthur's face in his memory, the way he looked at Merlin with half-lidded eyes, cheeks colored with exertion and his breath caught at knowing it was all for him to see, just for him.

"Don’t stop," Merlin said before closing his eyes, feeling the heat rise nearly impossibly under his skin. He was desperate to touch himself or to beg Arthur to touch him, but at the same time he feared that it’d be over too soon. He couldn’t even breathe properly and he felt the blood gather in his face, his muscles contracting to the maximum.

"Merlin," Arthur sounded worried, his grip on Merlin's inner thighs almost painful. "You don’t have to do this."

"Don’t," Merlin gasped, shaking his head. "Don’t stop... Please." He bit his lower lip to hold back a sob and moaned, grasping the sheets to keep himself from touching himself, he was so sensitive he knew that the softest of the touches would end it all. He knew he didn’t have to come untouched. He knew he could give up any moment. One word from him would be enough and Arthur would put an end to this torture. And it would be perfect, as it always was. Merlin felt like he was suffocating, but he’d gladly die like this every day, if he could.

"Merlin, breathe!" He thought he heard Arthur say between gritted teeth, but his voice sounded far, nearly unhearable, and then…

"Ah! Ahhh!" Merlin screamed at every overwhelming surge of pleasure, pouring jet after jet of hot cum over his own chest and it seemed like it’d go on forever.

"Fuck, Merlin." Arthur gasped and Merlin opened his eyes in time to see Arthur closing his eyes, a raptured expression on his face as he paused for a moment, pulsing inside Merlin again and again before resuming bucking his hips, slowing to a halt.

Merlin closed his eyes again, and when he returned to himself Arthur was leaning over him, kissing every bit of his face. "You idiot... stupid and... ridiculous plonker," Arthur murmured between kisses.

Merlin hummed, trying to push him, but his limbs were too heavy.

Arthur stopped kissing him when he realized he was awake. "Hey. Are you okay, baby?"

"Never better," Merlin murmured, smiling. Well, at least he was smiling internally, since his muscles didn’t seem to cooperate.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know," Arthur kissed his lips and chin. "you weren’t breathing!"

"A lot going on," Merlin reasoned, voice slurred. "I didn’t have the time for something as insignificant as breathing."

Arthur buried his face in the crook of his neck and Merlin felt him shake. It took him some time to realize Arthur was laughing.

"I can’t believe it," Arthur said, laughing as he looked up. "Come on, admit it, I’m quite good at this."

Merlin rolled his eyes and placing his palm over Arthur's chest, though he lacked the strength to effectively push him away. "God, Arthur... All this modesty... is choking me," he gasped and Arthur finally got off him, lying on the bed and bringing him to his chest.

Merlin took a deep breath in.

"Aw, just say it, Merlin," Arthur teased, "you love my overconfidence. Especially when I make you come like this."

"Okay, maybe you made a small contribution at the end... "

"Small!" Arthur sounded affronted. "Nothing of mine is small, Merlin."

"Especially your head."

"Why, you little shit..." Arthur pushed him down on the mattress and tickled him ruthlessly, making Merlin gasp again, crying with laughter. He couldn’t remember a time when he had been happier.

.M.

"Watch out for my purse, Merlin," Hunith said as they entered the apartment. "Be careful not to spill the stew over my stuff..."

"Stew?" Merlin said, dropping the bag on the kitchen table carefully. “I thought you’d mentioned apple pie "He disappeared into the hall, carrying his own suitcase.

"Apple pie  _ and _ stew. You know your aunt Meg..." Hunith sighed, looking at Arthur in the foyer. "Don’t just stand there, Arthur. I thought I'd made it clear that you don’t need an invitation to come in."

"Thank you," Arthur said, carrying the larger suitcase. "Where should I put this one?"

"You can leave it in the hallway. Half the clothes are dirty and need cleaning anyway." Hunith went straight to the sink, filling the kettle with water. "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, no, don’t bother," Arthur said as he left his bags, listening as a door closed somewhere in the apartment. "I'm already leaving. I'll leave you to get some rest."

"Oh, it’s no bother at all." Hunith pulled a chair by the kitchen table for Arthur and sat down next to him. "I miss my tea, to be honest. Meg's too strong." She stared at him with a tired smile. "Thank you for everything, Arthur. Merlin seems to have had a great time."

"Well, I guess I remember someone threatening me if he didn’t."

"Why, I wasn’t threatening you." Hunith dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “You’ll know it when I'm threatening you."

"I'm sure I will," Arthur agreed gravely.

Hunith smiled again. "Seriously, though, thanks for taking care of him."

"You have nothing to thank me for, Hunith." Arthur shook his head. "It was my pleasure. This week went by so fast! I'm going to – " Arthur stopped himself, but then exhaled slowly and completed the sentence, "I'm going to miss him around."

Hunith's smile grew more tender and she put a hand on his shoulder. "You can come over whenever you want, dear. You don’t even have to send word, you can just show up."

Arthur nodded gratefully, then sobered suddenly. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long," he said, embarrassed. "I know it wasn’t fair. Merlin was suffering from it, I shouldn’t have – "

"Forget it." Hunith interrupted him. "You must’ve had your reasons. I respect that."

Arthur looked away again. Somehow, those words made him feel even more guilty and confused. He could deal with her disapproval, after all he was used to that coming from his father, but he didn’t know how to deal with her selfless understanding.

"Look, Arthur," Hunith continued earnestly. "Gaius told me that you have a rather... difficult relationship with your family. But I want you to know that you can count on my support whenever it’s needed. I know it's not easy. Thank God, Merlin never hid it from me, but I can understand why some people don’t feel comfortable opening up with their family. Some never do!"

"Jesus." Arthur pinched the bridge over his nose, struggling not to get up, so uncomfortable he felt with it. "That'd be so unfair to him. He shouldn’t have to – I mean, I don’t even know – "

"Hey, calm down." Hunith gripped his shoulder harder. "I'm not talking about Merlin. I'm talking about you. When you feel comfortable – _if_ you ever feel comfortable telling your family  –, you can count on my support. And I'm sure Gaius can help too, after all, he's closest to your father. I just don’t want you to feel forced to do something that you’re not ready to."

Arthur nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat and blinking rapidly to dispel the tears threatening to gather in his eyes. He heard the kettle whistle, but Hunith didn’t moved to get up. Fortunately Merlin came back at that moment, catching Hunith's attention as he placed a bag of clothes on the couch.

"Speaking of laundry," Merlin smiled, oblivious to the atmosphere between them, “it’s possible that I’ve run out of clean underwear.”

"I shouldn’t have spoiled you by doing all the chores." Hunith said, rising to the kettle. "You know Anne makes Will wash his own underwear, don’t you?"

"I can only imagine the state of them," Merlin said, faking a shiver.

"Well," Arthur stood up, "I guess I'll be going."

"Won’t you wait for the tea?" Hunith asked, assessing him with clear concern. 

“Another day, perhaps,"Arthur apologized and Merlin announced that he’d walk him to the door.

"She didn’t sound angry to you, did she?" Merlin asked as soon as he shut the door behind them. "You think she's mad?"

"No, I don’t think so," Arthur replied, strangely.

"Damn." Merlin bit his bottom lip. "She's probably just waiting for you to go away to scold me."

"What for?"

"How am I to know? It could be anything! Probably something I forgot to do. What could possibly I have forgotten?"

"Merlin, I don’t think you’re in trouble. She didn’t look angry to me."

"Oh, she knows how to hide it." Merlin shrugged. "Well, I'll probably find out in a moment. Now, I think I owe you a goodbye kiss." He stepped closer and put his arms around Arthur. "Thank you for having me at your house for so long. It must have been excruciating, but I’m very grateful that you didn’t kick me out the second day."

"Well, I admit I was tempted to do just that." Arthur said gravely. "And yes, it was a pain in the ass, and I'm certainly going to value my solitude now that I don’t have to worry about keeping the refrigerator stuffed with eggs and milk or sharing my electric shaver with anyone."

"Oh, I’ll miss the shaver." Merlin pouted. "You could lend it to me a few days a week, couldn’t you? I can assure you you’d benefit from it."

"Oh, really?" Arthur arched an eyebrow. "Maybe you should check your bag later, then."

"You did not!" Merlin stared at him in astonishment. "Arthur, did you give me your shaver?"

"I didn’t give you my shaver." Arthur rolled his eyes. "It’s a very personal item, you know? Like toothbrushes. People don’t share toothbrushes, do they?"

"So...?"

"I bought you a new one. At the supermarket," Arthur clarified. "I put it in the cart when you weren’t looking."

Arthur used to shop online, but Merlin had insisted that they go to the grocery store so he would know the real grocery shopping experience. Arthur had tried to dissuade him from it, but he had ended up with the refrigerator full of food and the cupboards full of cereal, chips and chocolate, although he usually didn’t eat that sort of stuff. Gwaine would probably be happy next time he showed up uninvited - he always complained that Arthur didn’t buy junk food.

"You shouldn’t keep giving me things!" Merlin frowned, folding his arms. "First the laptop, now the shaver... And I never give you anything," he tried to pull away, but Arthur grabbed him by the waist.

"Hey, you don’t have to give me anything. The notebook’s second hand and, like you said, I’ll benefit from the shaver. I’m selfish, remember?”

Merlin pretended to consider it for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, you're right." He hooked Arthur’s neck again. “On second thought, I think your tub’s out modeled. You should probably consider buying yourself a new one.”

Arthur laughed. "Even if I considered remodeling my bathroom, I doubt my bathtub would fit in yours, Merlin."

"Meh, I know," Merlin slumped. "But it was worth a try."

They stared at each other for a few long seconds before meeting half way for a kiss. Arthur sucked Merlin's lower lip, not caring if he left Merlin to go inside with swollen lips.

"I have to go," Arthur whispered, leaning his forehead against Merlin's.

"I know." Merlin bit her lower lip. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Arthur kissed him one last time before pulling away, though reluctantly. "Oh, I almost forgot." He turned back at Merlin before reaching the stairs. "I have to go to an event on Tuesday night, a launch party for a new product line from one of the company's customers, Morgana and my father won’t be able to go, so I'll have to represent Pendragon Consulting."

"Oh, sure," Merlin nodded.

"I wish I could take you with me, but..." Arthur scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly.

"No problem." Merlin shoved his hands into his pockets. "I understand."

"It's going to be boring, anyway." Arthur tried to justify himself. "Nothing but boot licking, small talk and all that. You know how much I loathe these kinds of things. I'll just drop by, shake some hands and leave."

"All right." Merlin smiled, rolling his eyes. "You're going to suffer for the greater good, I get it."

Arthur pointed a finger at him in warning, but ended up winking before heading down the stairs.

.M.

Arthur awoke in the middle of the night feeling that something was wrong. He turned to the side and drowsily groped the mattress, startled not to find Merlin there. He remembered Merlin was gone then and sighed, staring at the dark room’s ceiling, loosing all hopes of going back to sleep. He pulled the pillow Merlin had used and hugged it, inhaling deeply, trying to find some trace of his shampoo. 

.Merlin.


	23. Part 2 - Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank [pinkluv10](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkluv10/pseuds/pinkluv10/works) for her work in the last few chapters! She's busy now and won't be able to help as much from now on, but her help gave me the chance to work on other project of mine. Thank you, dear!

**Chapter 22**

**28th week**

The text alert interrupted the music in his earbuds for a few seconds and Arthur pulled the phone out of his pocket to check Merlin's message, slowing down.

' _ Good run _ .'

Arthur checked the time. It was six-fifty-eight in the morning. He paused for a moment to respond.

' _ Go back to sleep, Merlin. _ '

Arthur was about to put away his phone again when the next song started. He shook his head to himself.

' _ Listening to Sweet Child O'Mine and thinking of you _ ' he sent the message and the answer came right after.

' _ Good _ .'

Arthur put his phone away and ran back, the smile lingering on his face as he sang along with the song.

.M.

"So..." Arthur heard the girl – Daisy – say, as Arthur was lifting, "that friend of yours..." she let her sentence hang unfinished.

"Merlin?" Arthur offered.

"Yeah... have you known each other for a long time?"

"Since the beginning of the year," Arthur replied between flexes.

"Right," she sounded uncertain, but Arthur was too focused on his exercise to pay close attention to the girl. "Oh, well... I don’t know how to ask this, but... Is he gay?"

"Yeah...," Arthur replied, frowning and glancing down at her.

"Oh, ok..." Daisy forced a smile, averting her eyes.

"Why?" Arthur got up from the machine to face her, taking the time to roll his shoulder blades as he did so.

"Because..." she bit her lower lip, pausing to run to face him. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but... You know he's into you, right?"

"You think?" Arthur arched an eyebrow, walking to the side of the apparatus and adjusting the weight before he sat down and wedged his legs in the support, pushing them.

"Well, by the way he looks at you..." Daisy raised her eyebrows. "I know that kind of look, believe me. He is definitely into you ."

"Great," Arthur said. "That’s what I’ve been counting on."

"What?" She sounded confused and Arthur stopped to face her.

"He's my boyfriend," Arthur said and turned his attention back to his exercise again, as the girl stared at him in shock.

"Oh..." Daisy exclaimed. "Oh... Well... You make a nice couple," she said, seeming to recover from the shock quickly.

"Thank you," Arthur said, pleasantly surprised. Then he had an idea. "Hey, Daisy, do you have any appointments on Tuesday night?"

.Merlin.

"And send my regards to your father," the man said, squeezing Arthur's hand firmly.

"Certainly," Arthur assured him, though he had no intention of passing on any of the many compliments to his father.

"Wow, you're pretty popular around here, aren’t you?" Daisy exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, most of these people are clients of my father's company," Arthur said lightly. "I confess I'm surprised to find so many of them here."

Before Daisy could say anything, a photographer approached them, asking permission to take a picture, and Arthur nodded, allowing Daisy to lean on his arm as he posed.

"Oh my God, this is so chic!" Daisy said, swapping her empty goblet for a full one when a waiter passed with a silver tray full of drinks. "Each dress more beautiful than the last! If I’d known, I’d’ve dressed better."

She was wearing a light blue dress with straps and her hair was pinned up in a calculatedly messy bun, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm – or perhaps from the amount of alcohol she had already ingested.

"You look great," Arthur assured her, moving his phone in his pocket impatiently as he thought of a way to send Merlin a message without seeming rude to his companion. She didn’t deserve to be treated with disrespect, especially after agreeing to go out with him as friends.

"It's a shame Merlin couldn’t come," Daisy said, seeming to read Arthur’s thoughts. "He'd be having fun, wouldn’t he?"

"He'd probably find the songs crap," Arthur said good-naturedly. "He'd say it's elevator music.”

"Well, when you put it like that..." Daisy paused, bringing her hand to her mouth. "My God, do you see that girl over there? I don’t think I’ve seen her since high school!"

"Do you want to go and say hello?" Arthur offered, hoping she wouldn’t notice the eagerness in his tone.

"You don’t mind?" Daisy looked at him worriedly.

"Not at all, I'll be around, I've got to find Muirden, anyway."

Daisy thanked Arthur and moved towards her friend. Arthur took the opportunity of getting another glass of champagne and quickly moved away to a corner more hidden in the busy hall, taking the phone from his pocket to check his messages.

There was one from Merlin.

' _ So...? _ ', it said.

‘ _ Send help! _ ’ Arthur texted back, raising his eyes and waving back to the wife of one of his clients, who was coming back from the toilet. When he looked back at his phone, Merlin had just answered.

' _ It can’t be that bad. _ '

‘ _ So boring, believe me. Five people already asked if I was engaged, two were sure that I had been married, and another had sent regards to the children.’ _

' _ Ewww! _ ' came the reply from Merlin.

' _ Ewww, _ ' Arthur seconded and then spotted Edwin Muirden. 'I have to go. The sooner this is done, the better.’

‘ _ Good luck. _ ’

Arthur put away his phone and took another sip of his champagne before leaving the empty glass on one of the waiter’s trays and approaching Muirden. Before he could reach him, however, he saw Rodor Nemeth approaching and so Arthur was forced to swerve toward the restroom, heavily cursing as he did so. Arthur lowered his eyes, pretending to check his watch to avoid being sighted until he reached the relative protection of the bathroom, going to the sink to wash his hands.

Rodor was Mithian's father, and if he was there, Mithian was likely to be, too. Arthur was going to kill Morgana. That was one of the reasons he'd avoided these events.

"Arthur?" He heard a familiar voice and looked at the reflection of the person in the mirror, then turned in relief.

"Mordred! What are you doing here?"

"In the bathroom?" Mordred arched a brow and Arthur rolled his eyes, and Mordred smiled sideways, checking his own reflection in the mirror as he washed his hands. "Long story. How about you?"

"I am the official representative of the family," Arthur sighed, taking the time to smooth his hair into place.

"Morgana threatened you or something?" Mordred asked, wiping his hands.

"Something," Arthur confirmed, accompanying him.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of two men arguing aloud and they took advantage of the commotion to leave the bathroom, the noise of the conversation replaced by bad music. Arthur looked around and must have let his concern show, for Mordred touched his arm and gestured for him to follow. They went up a staircase and out onto a quieter terrace, accepting two glasses of champagne on the way.

"At least the champagne isn’t so bad," Mordred said as they left. "I've lost count of how many I've drunk, by the way."

"Who's counting?" Arthur snorted, leaning over the wall and looking around. "Wow, what a view."

"Haven’t you ever come here?" Mordred asked as he joined him.

"I attended to a wedding here once, but I didn’t walk around much, I just came to because I had to , actually. Kind of like today"

"I see." Mordred nodded understandingly.

“How about you?” Arthur asked, curious.

"I've been here a couple of times, Muirden liked to do events in this room."

"You know Muirden?" Arthur turned to face him in surprise.

"I worked for him during college." Mordred looked embarrassed.

"Really? In his company?"

"Actually," Mordred scratched his head, "I did some work as a model during college.I needed the money," he added to justify himself.

"Oh." Arthur took a sip of his champagne to disguise his surprise.

Arthur stared at Mordred from head to toe. He was wearing a black suit and white shirt, the robe making his skin even paler and highlighting the blue of his eyes. Come to think of it, it wasn’t surprising that he had worked as a model. Arthur could picture him on a catwalk easily, his expression serious, his posture elegant and his face boyish.

"Are you alone?" Arthur changed the subject, realizing that Mordred looked uncomfortable.

"Yes," Mordred nodded, turning the contents of his goblet in one go. Arthur wondered if Kara was still traveling, but he thought it best not to touch the subject. Mordred probably would have volunteered the information if he felt comfortable.

Arthur looked away, trying to think of a safer conversation topic, but couldn’t think of anything unrelated to work.

“Thank you, by the way,” Mordred interrupted his thoughts. "For taking me to your division."

"It's temporary," Arthur reminded him.

"It's perfect," Mordred assured him. "This way I could cool down a little, besides, I was in need of a change of routine."

"Good, because we really need the extra help."

"Oh, sure, I didn’t mean to say I thought that you did it just because of me–"

"It's all right, Mordred,” Arthur reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad to have you with us for a few weeks and I'm sure you'll be of great help."

"Certainly."

Arthur smiled and his eyes were drawn to the glow of Mordred's curly hair. He averted his eyes, then, biting his lower lip to keep from laughing.

"What is it?" Mordred asked, and Arthur couldn’t but show his amusement.

"I'm sorry, I suddenly imagined your face on a bottle of anti-dandruff shampoo..." He chuckled loudly.

“Hey!” Mordred sounded indignant, but Arthur threw back his head and laughed. He was ready to apologize, then realized that Mordred was also laughing.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said, wiping the tears from his eyes as soon as he was able to control himself again.

"It’s okay," Mordred assured him, his eyes sparkling with amusement as well.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and they looked to the side, and found a photographer holding a spotlight on the camera. "That’s it, hold on, just one second," the photographer asked, and then the flash flashed again. "Thank you," the photographer thanked, after checking the display of his camera. "That looks great. Do you mind if I take more?"

"Well..." Mordred started to protest, but Arthur was faster.

"Of course, why not?" Arthur approached Mordred and smiled at the camera. "Morgana asked me to make sure I got some pictures," he explained as the photographer checked his camera.

"Hey, I know you," the photographer said suddenly, reaching out for Mordred. "Allen, right? I believe I photographed you once."

"Oh, yeah, sure..."

The photographer turned to Arthur, "And you're...?"

"I'm not a model." Arthur reached out, humorous. "Arthur Pendragon."

"Cedric Crow. Nice to meet you. Hey, Allen,” turned to Mordred again. "I don’t remember seeing you recently..."

"I think I'm going downstairs a bit," Arthur announced, letting the two of them talk.

Arthur returned to the main hall looking for Daisy, but she still seemed entertained by her friend. Arthur greeted two more acquaintances before finding Edwin Muirden alone again.

"Pendragon," Edwin squeezed his hand firmly. "It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"Good. It means we did a good job at your company," Arthur said, taking another glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

“A fantastic job, actually,” Edwin agreed. His face had been reconstructed by plastic surgery after an accident, but his smile was still pulled a bit awkwardly in an unnatural way. "We've expanded a lot since then, but the truth is I've been thinking about contacting you again."

"Well, I'm at your service. Has anything happened?"

"No, no, not at all." Edwin made a nonchalant gesture. "I mean, we're having some competition issues, but a little competition is always good. I like your hair, by the way." He frowned.

"Thank you." Arthur blinked, slightly surprised. "I... Uh... I've been using your products since–"

"Why, you don’t have to lie." Edwin interrupted him, good-humored. "This is not a good shampoo’s job, I know good hair when I see it, I bet any shampoo works wonders for you. By the way, you don’t happen to be a model, do you? I bet you'd look great in one of our television ads.”

"Oh, no, I'm not a model," Arthur replied quickly. "I'm sorry, no, but I know one. He works with me, actually. I think he's worked with you once."

"Ah, you must be talking about Allen!" Edwin looked excited. "I've been trying to convince him to come back for years! Did he mention anything to you about being interested?"

"Oh, no, well..." Arthur scratched his nape, regretting to have mentioned it. "Actually..."

"Hey, how about a real drink instead?" Edwin pointed to Arthur's untouched champagne. "Come with me, so you can tell me more about our mutual friend."

Arthur forced a smile as he swore inwardly. He checked his watch. He was doing a great job of delaying his own departure. As he feared would happen, he ended up in a reclusive room where the music was more classical, the people full of pomp and the drinks more refined. Edwin poured Arthur a drink of whiskey and began to ask about Mordred, not realizing how much Arthur was uncomfortable with it. At some point, someone bumped into Arthur and he turned to apologize, finding Mithian there.

"Arthur!" She widened her eyes in surprise. "I didn’t know you were here!"

"Mithian," Arthur greeted, recovering more quickly. "Long time no see."

"Ah, Miss Nemeth," Edwin greeted, looking from her to Arthur. "Oh well, I think I'd better take a look outside. They must be wondering where I went. Arthur, we'll talk later, alright? Enjoy the party!" He said, moving away quickly.

Arthur looked around, breathing deeply, trying to find an escape, but found Rodor's gaze, instead. "Ah, your father is here too," he said, waving a greeting to the man who nodded in answer, but happily returned to converse with the person at his side.

"Yeah," Mithian said. "Muirden is an old acquaintance of the family."

Arthur stared at her, running out of excuses to avoid her gaze. She was exactly the same, beautiful as ever, her haughty stance and her serious expression lending her a regal air. Uther had never hidden his preference for her. He said they were a great couple, and Arthur had believed that for a long time. Now, however, Arthur saw all the coldness behind her stiff posture. Morgana had tried to warn him about that once, but Arthur had defended Mithian, saying she was only shy and delicate, but perhaps he’d been too anxious to please his father to listen to his sister’s advice. Now he had learned his lesson the hard way.

"You look great," Arthur said, looking for the right thing to say.

“You too," she smiled, looking down at her own hands, and Arthur followed her gaze. She hastened to hide her hand, but not before Arthur saw the sparkle of a diamond.

"You're engaged!" Arthur exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Yes, thank you," she shifted uncomfortably, sipping from her glass. "It’s been only a few weeks."

"Give my regards to Henry," Arthur said, almost maliciously, though he knew there was no chance she would be engaged to the ex-concierge of his building.

"It's not him." Mithian's face closed even more tightly, and she moved the handle of her dress nervously.

Arthur indulged himself some perverse satisfaction. He knew Rodor would never approve that she'd marry someone as insignificant as Henry. He was aware that her affair was only to provoke Arthur, and she'd probably left the man the very day after Arthur had found out about them.

"Pity." Arthur feigned disappointment. “You made a beautiful couple."

Mithian opened her mouth, but the photographer materialized in front of them before she could say anything.

“Mr. Pendragon! Can I?” Cedric asked, already positioning himself before they had a chance to respond.

Arthur smiled at the camera, resisting the urge to look around to check Mithian's uncomfortable expression. The photographer thanked him and walked away, staring at the viewfinder.

Arthur turned to Mithian. "Well, it was a pleasure to see you again." He placed his glass of whiskey on the nearest tray, "I wish you and your fiancé the best. Tell your father I send my regards.”

Arthur walked away from her without waiting for an answer. He said goodbye to Daisy, who said she didn’t mind leaving with her friends and was already heading for the exit when he ran into Mr. Odin and saw all his hopes of escaping pushed away for another hour and a half. The one upside of this was that he had many opportunities to get his picture taken at the gala, so at least Morgana would have no reason to complain.

.M.

Merlin checked his phone again, but there were no further messages from Arthur. He considered texting him, but he knew Arthur would’ve done so as soon as he could. Merlin sighed and changed his playlist, surfing Tumblr again on his phone, since Will had stolen his laptop.

And speaking of Will, he was too quiet to be good. He had been so excited about the MacBook that he hadn’t shut his mouth about it since he arrived, excitedly praising every detail of the computer, but he’d been suspiciously quiet for some time now. Merlin removed his headphones and looked up from his phone to see Will sitting by Merlin’s desk with his feet on the table – there was plenty of room left on the desk, after Merlin had gotten rid of his old computer – looking thoroughly focused. The screen was turned away, so that Merlin couldn’t see what he was watching, but if the faces Will was making were anything to go by…

"Will! Tell me you're not watching porn on my laptop!" Merlin said.

Will jumped in fright, clicking the trackpad frantically, "Jesus, Merlin, do you need to shout like that?" He scolded, but Merlin had known him long enough to know what that all meant.

"Will!" Merlin screamed in disgust, getting up and turning the laptop so that he could see the screen.

"No!" Will tried to turn the computer around again, but he got off balance and almost fell off his chair. Meanwhile, Merlin took the laptop and sat on the bed, opening the minimized window to find a video still playing, the sound off, where a man stuck his huge penis between a woman's huge fake breasts.

“Ugh, I can’t believe it, Will,” Merlin groaned, closing the screen. "I leave you unsupervised for five minutes–"

Will moaned. “No, let me save the link at least! Do you know how hard it is to find decent porn?" Will sat down beside him and tried to retrieve the computer again, but Merlin held it out of his reach.

"I don’t care! You're going to fill my laptop with viruses!"

Will stared at him for a moment, incredulous. “You are aware that Prof. Hammer only said that to discourage people from watching porn at school, right?"

"That’s not the point, you won’t lay a finger on my computer ever again! " Merlin opened the antivirus and started a virus scan so that Will couldn’t retrieve the address.

"But it loads so fast!" Will whined. "And the screen resolution is so good!"

"Shoo!" Merlin shooed him away, slapping his hand. "Take your filthy hands off my computer, and you're forbidden to go to the bathroom to take care of that." He pointed at Will's pants, avoiding facing the general area of his friend's crotch.

"Merlin, please!" Will whined. "All right, I swear I won’t open any dubious sites, but let me use it just a little bit more–"

"You lost your chance." Merlin shook his head, but Will insisted and persisted until Merlin agreed to let him use the computer again as long as the screen was facing Merlin.

Will then resumed praising the computer as if he were talking about Megan Fox’s curves. "Jesus, look at these keys, so soft and silky…” Will moaned as he typed, and Merlin replaced his headphones, increasing the volume of his song.¹ Every once in awhile he glanced to check what his friend was doing, but found Will merely watching extreme sports videos on Youtube.

Melin was distracted when he received a message from Arthur.

‘ _ On my way home, at last. Still awake? _ ’

Merlin checked the hours. It was almost midnight. He typed in the answer. ‘ _ Will’s still here. Call me when you get home. _ ’

“Hey.”

Merlin heard Will's voice and took off his headphones. “What?”

“Where did your boyfriend said he was again?” Will asked with a frown. He was scrolling through Facebook, quickly going through some photos.

"At a launch party for one of the company's customers," Merlin looked down at his phone again.

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"Because he couldn’t take me as a date, could he?” Merlin said sarcastically. “Anyway, it was a rave or something like that. He sounded really bored. "

“Bored, huh?” Will sounded strange and Merlin looked up to watch him point to a picture on the computer. “He doesn’t seem bored to me.”

Merlin felt something cold and heavy sink into his stomach. On the computer screen, Arthur smiled with a blonde girl hanging from his arm. It took Merlin a moment to recognize her in a low-cut blue dress and a messy bun, but he’d recognize those perfectly aligned teeth anywhere.

“Daisy,” he said, his heart racing, unable to take his eyes off the picture.

"You know her?" Will asked, clicking on the computer to move the photos forward. Then he paused to find Arthur again. "Hey, doesn't this guy work with him? I think I remember seeing him in the pub that day."

In the photo, Arthur and Mordred looked at each other, seeming to laugh at a rather funny joke. Will clicked and another photo of them appeared, side by side, smiling. Arthur's eyes were glowing with amusement, with wrinkles around them as he smiled and Mordred seemed more restrained, but the smile on his face was as unusual as it was honest. They were dressed formally, elegant and undeniably beautiful.

"What’s this?" Merlin asked, dropping his phone and moving closer to get a better look.

"These are the photos of the event," Will said, passing some more photos. "Someone tagged Pendragon on them and they showed up here on your feed."

Merlin was too shocked by the images to get annoyed with Will for digging into his social media again. There were hundreds of photos, all of them showing well-dressed men and women with glasses of champagne in their hands. Arthur appeared in several of them. Mostly with Daisy.

"Wait, wait," Merlin asked as Will hastily passed another one. "Go back."

Will clicked and the picture of Arthur with a woman with brown hair and eyes appeared again. Arthur had his best satisfied smile on his face and the woman looked a little surprised, but it was the name next to the photo that caught Merlin's attention. Mithian Nemeth.

"You know this one too, don’t you?" Will asked, frowning.

“Will..." Merlin said, closing the laptop, heart pounding in his chest. "I think you should leave."

Will opened his mouth to say something, but he seemed to think better of it. He shrugged, "Tomorrow’s still on?" he asked, standing up.

"I'll call you," Merlin replied, lost in thoughts.

"Any chance of you bringing your laptop?"

"Not now, Will."

"Alright, alright." Will opened the door, but hesitated. "He probably has a good explanation for that."

"Probably," Merlin repeated almost automatically.

"But if you need to talk to anyone later..."

Merlin merely nodded and Will stepped out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He shouldn’t be so surprised. No one went to that kind of event unaccompanied, so it was only natural that Arthur had invited someone. But why Daisy, of all people? Why would Arthur do that? Merlin hadn’t exactly bothered to hide his jealousy in the gym. And rightly so, since the girl was clearly hitting on his boyfriend!

And as for Mordred…

The last two days had been extremely busy at Pendragon Consulting. The division was rampant with the amount of service that had accumulated and Elyan’s and Mordred’s arrival had finished shaking things up. Merlin hadn’t been able to stop for a second, helping Gwen accommodate the newcomers and bring them up to date, while Arthur had been entertained with Leon and Gwaine most of the time, as they discussed their schedules, distributing prospecting visits between them. Merlin had apologized to Isolde, but thought it best not to go down to the Development Division for a few days until everything was under control once again.

In the midst of that chaos, Arthur and Mordred had hardly interacted, and Merlin no longer remembered the reason for his initial apprehension, too busy with his tasks. When Arthur had announced that he’d have to attend a social event, Merlin was annoyed, but he knew he couldn’t argue about it. He couldn’t go as Arthur's date nor convince him not to attend. He must’ve imagined that moment would come, sooner or later, but now he felt as if he had been punched in the stomach.

What was Mordred doing there with Arthur? He wasn’t the company's representative, as far as Merlin knew. Had Arthur invited him too? And what the hell was that picture with Mithian? Why did he look so happy? Arthur hadn’t seemed happy in the messages they exchanged. On the contrary, he had made a point of saying how bored he was, and yet he had spent almost four hours at the event...

Merlin's phone rang and he stared at the photo on the screen for a moment. It was the same photo he had selected as wallpaper on the laptop, where Arthur made a face at the camera and Merlin had his face half-tucked into Arthur’s neck, just his smile visible.

Merlin answered the call.

" _ Remind me never to wear this tie again, _ " Arthur said, cursing, and Merlin could hear the roar of the elevator in his building. " _ No matter how I adjust it, it always suffocates me. You know, the gray one– _ "

"With red stripes," Merlin finished. "I know."

" _ Yeah, that's it. _ " Arthur moved his keys loudly. " _ How did you know? _ "

"I had a hunch," Merlin said, flopping onto the bed and staring at a spot on the ceiling shaped like a footprint. "So how did it go?"

" _ Excruciating, _ " Arthur said, and Merlin bit his lower lip. " _ It's been so long since I've been to this kind of function that I've forgotten how unbearable it is. Christ, my face’s cramping from smiling too much. Is Will still there? _ "

"No, he just left." Merlin heard Arthur's footsteps and imagined him climbing the stairs to his bedroom. "Did you go alone?" He asked, before could stop himself.

" _ This isn’t the kind of function you go alone to, Merlin, _ " Arthur sounded defensive. " _ That's why Morgana is the one who usually attends. She loves social events, the photos, the gossip – most of it started by her, mind. _ " Arthur laughed through his nose. " _ Morgana loves being in the spotlight, she would certainly feel at ease on a throne with a crown on her head, but apparently she was busy today, God knows why – she said something about nail polish and I kind of I blocked out the rest. And my father… _ ” Arthur sighed and Merlin heard some more noises he couldn’t identify. " _ Well, it's been a while since he's shown up at this kind of thing, I thought he'd be more excited now with his girlfriend, but no, maybe Morgana's right, maybe he really is thinking about retiring. _ "

“Would that be so bad?" Merlin asked, trying to buy some time to think about how to approach the subjects he longed to know. He wondered how much Arthur had drunk to be so talkative like that.

" _ No, I don’t think so. _ " Arthur sounded unconcerned. “ _ I always thought it was more likely for him to have a heart attack during a meeting than to want to enjoy life outside the company, but I think it’d be good for him if he stopped now, while he still could. _ "

“I suppose so,” Merlin agreed. "So, who did you bring?" 

" _ Do you remember Daisy? _ "

"I thought  _ you _ didn’t remember her." Merlin tried not to sound so accusing, but failed terribly.

" _ Look, I know you don’t like her. I had to bring someone and she agreed to go just as friends– _ "

"And was she aware that you were hanging out as  _ just friends _ ?" Merlin asked, remembering how Daisy had clung to Arthur’s arm in the pictures.

" _ Of course she knew! I was pretty open with her and she was perfectly fine with it! Look, Merlin, I wasn’t happy either for not being able to bring you, but– _ "

"I know," Merlin cut him off, annoyed. He took a deep breath then, trying to calm down. They weren’t getting anywhere like that. "Did you find someone you know?" 

" _ Unfortunately, _ " Arthur sniffed. " _ Half the company's clients, current and former, I'm going to kill Morgana, she probably knew that, and that’s probably why she insisted that I went. I wouldn't doubt if she'd invited Mr. Odin personally and made sure he held me back as much as he could. The man followed me even to the restroom, for God's sake. _ "

"Ouch," Merlin said sympathetically. He felt distant, as if his senses were numbed. He considered talking about the photos, but he didn’t want to have to do it. He’d prefer if Arthur approached it himself. Why wouldn’t he mention Mithian or Mordred?

" _ God, I’m wrecked _ ," Arthur continued, and Merlin heard the whisper of fabric. " _ Hmm... I missed you.This bed is too big for me alone, you know. I wish I had left early so I could come over and get you. I would’ve dispatched Will faster than you could say cockblocker. _ "

"He probably wouldn’t even notice if you took me out of here," Merlin snorted. "So... Anything else that’s worth mentioning? A pleasant surprise or not so pleasant? "

" _ Well... _ " Arthur seemed to consider the question for a moment. " _ Oh, I found Mordred there! _ "

"Mordred?" Merlin feigned surprise. "What was he doing there?"

" _ He’s worked for Muirden before. Our client, Muirden. Did you know he was a model? _ "

"Who? Muirden?" Merlin asked, confused.

" _ No! Jesus, no. Edwin Muirden, a model? _ " Arthur scoffed. " _ Even before the accident, his face wasn’t exactly pleasant to look at. I'm talking about Mordred, of course! _ "

"Mordred used to be a model?" Merlin wondered as he sat on the bed. "Mordred from Accounting? "

" _ What other Mordred do you know? _ " Arthur teased. " _ Yes, our Mordred! _ " He said, and Merlin shifted uneasily. " _ I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t heard from his own mouth. _ "

"Ah... wow." Merlin shook his head, trying to imagine Mordred posing for a camera. "That's... weird."

" _ You’re telling me. I mean, not that he doesn’t have the appeal with those... eyes and... what with the curly hair and all. Anyway... Oh, shit... I should probably call him or text him... I might have unintentionally put him in a tough situation. I hope Muirden didn’t corner him already. And I hope he's not mad at me. _ "

Merlin blinked a few times to focus his vision again, trying to think of what to say. His mind was still going through all that speech, trying to come to terms with it

" _ Hey, you know what would make me sleep tight, baby? _ " Arthur asked, his voice lazy. " _ You reciting some poetry to me. _ "

"It's late, Arthur," Merlin said almost mechanically. "I'm tired."

" _ Oh, _ " Arthur sounded more sober suddenly. " _ Okay, you're right, go to bed. Good night, baby. _ "

"Good night." Merlin pressed the button to hang up and let the phone slip onto the mattress, then rolled to the side and curled in on himself, thrusting his face into the pillow. He tried not to think about how he should have been the one with Arthur, not Daisy. He also tried not to think about why Arthur hadn’t even mentioned Mithian. He failed in all of the above.

.Merlin.

Merlin went back into the CRM’s room slightly breathless. When he looked at the aquarium, however, there was no sign of Arthur.

Merlin approached Gwen as she looked around, noting some empty tables. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"I'm here, if you haven’t noticed yet." Gwen sounded hurt but didn’t look up from her computer screen.

"Gwen–" Merlin began to explain, but Gwen dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand.

"Arthur called everyone to a meeting. He said it wouldn’t be long."

"Meeting?" Merlin was surprised. He took his phone out of his pocket to check, but he already knew there were no messages from Arthur. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I guess it wasn’t planned." Gwen shrugged. "Arthur looked rather worried after a call. He had Leon gather everyone on the fifth floor."

"But..." Merlin collapsed into his chair, looking at Kilgharrah as if searching for an answer. "He always asks me to prepare the room..."

"Oh..." Gwen looked up from the computer to face him. "He seemed pretty worried, if it's any consolation. I'm sure he would have waited for you if he could."

Merlin averted her eyes, not sure if he was more irritated with himself or with Gwen's sympathetic gaze. He hadn’t slept very well the night before, but he had convinced himself that whatever had happened at that party wasn’t as bad as he was making it in his head. He told himself that he had no reason to be upset with Arthur, but now he felt all his frustration hitting him again abruptly.

"And what are you doing here?" Merlin asked, looking around the nearly empty room. Somehow, the sight of Sophia's abandoned desk made his mood grow sourer.

"I asked to stay," Gwen replied. "I have to finish a report by five o'clock. The others stayed to help me."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Merlin asked, desperate to have something to occupy his mind beyond his own thoughts.

"Don’t worry, I've already got others to help me," she smiled. "Hey, why don't you go to the fifth floor? Arthur might be in need of help–"

"He also might not." Merlin sounded petulant to his own ears, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He rose to his feet. "I'm going to have lunch."

Gwen was about to say something, but seemed to give up, shaking her head and turning her attention back to her computer.

Merlin grabbed his backpack and went down to the kitchens. It was still early and he wasn’t too hungry, but he couldn’t concentrate on work like this and refused to go into the meeting room uninvited. He heated up his mother’s food and was about to sit by himself in a corner when he heard someone call him.

"Hey, Merlin, come here." Gili pointed to the empty chair beside him. He was sitting with other interns and some maintenance staff. Merlin was tempted to refuse the invitation, but he hadn’t talked to Gili for some time.

"Hello," Merlin greeted, looking down as he recognized some of the girls who had witnessed Arthur’s fit of jealousy in Cenred's room, two months ago.

"It's been a while since I've seen you around here, Merlin. Have you changed your working hours during the holidays too?"

"Yeah, I often come down later, or... you know... have lunch out with the guys," Merlin said, and noticed when one of the girls turned to the other to whisper something and they both giggled. He wondered if they were talking about him. "So... how's it going?" Merlin focused on chatting with Gili, ignoring the other occupants of the table. They probably already thought Merlin was a snob, anyway.

Luckily, Gili seemed happy to talk to him about his classes and Merlin kept listening even after he’d finished eating. It had been more than half an hour since he'd been there when his phone buzzed with a text from Arthur.

' _ Where are you? _ '

_ 'Kitchens,' _ Merlin replied. He was about to stick the phone in my pocket when he got another message.

_ 'Doing?' _

Merlin rolled his eyes.  _ 'Eating,' _ he replied shortly, putting away his phone.

"And you didn’t complain about your grade?" Merlin asked, turning to Gili again, as if they hadn’t been interrupted.

“Of course I did!” Gili said. “And so did everyone else. Pennyman refused to review the grades, though, and said that anyone who wished to pass his subject would have to reapply next semester, can you believe it?”

"That’s absurd," Merlin said. "You should file a complaint with the clerk."

"That's what I said!" Gili nodded. "But the staff claimed every year the student body tries to get Pennyman replaced, but no one ever manages to. They say he’s well connected and, you know, nobody wants to risk falling out of his graces for good. You know how they say the, the survival of the fittest–" Gili cut off, looking up at something beside Merlin, his eyes widening.

Merlin followed his gaze and saw Arthur standing by his side. Merlin almost forgot he had any reason to be upset with Arthur, staring up into those intense eyes, the familiar scent of his cologne invading his nostrils.

"Hey, Merlin," Arthur said, nodding to the other occupants at the table. The chattering had suddenly ended around them. "Come outside, I need to talk to you."

It wasn’t as if Merlin wasn't already accustomed to Arthur's authoritarian ways, but somehow those words made him feel offended. "I'm having lunch," Merlin said coldly, checking his watch. "Is it urgent? Or can you wait another twenty minutes?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes for a moment, glancing at his empty plate, but recovered quickly. "Of course," Arthur assured him, his face expressionless. "I'm going out to lunch with the guys. We'll talk later." He was already walking away when Merlin called him.

"Oh, Arthur, I was thinking about going to Development’s after lunch, I haven’t been there for two days."

Merlin watched as Arthur worked his jaw, his nostrils widening for a moment. Merlin felt a bit of vengeful satisfaction at that, yet feeling a touch of guilt that was soon overruled by the thought of Arthur having lunch with Mordred and Sophia.

"Sure. Go for it." Arthur turned around and left quickly.

The place was soon filled by chatter again, and Merlin avoided facing the other occupants of the room, pretending to check the phone.

"Have you moved to another division?" Gili asked curiously.

"A few hours a day." Merlin shrugged, as if that wasn’t a big deal. "Arthur allowed me to help the Development’s staff so that I can follow a little of their work."

"Oh," Gili looked impressed. "That's... good, I guess. Hey, you should come have lunch with us more often."

"Of course." Merlin nodded. Why not? "I'll see if I can get down early, tomorrow. So, you got to finish Pennyman’s subject, after all?" He changed the topic and Gili continued talking normally.

.M.

Merlin spent the whole afternoon in Development’s Division, and Arthur didn’t send any messages until the end of the day, when he asked Merlin to meet him in the parking lot.

"What was that?" Arthur asked as Merlin stepped out of the elevator in the basement, frowning.

Merlin came to a halt a few step away from him, crossing his arms. "What?" he feigned ignorance.

"In the Kitchens, when you refused to talk to me?" Arthur sounded hurt and irritated at the same time.

"I was on my lunch break," Merlin said, nonchalant. "Everyone was looking at us. What do you think they’d imagine if I interrupted my lunch to talk to my boss? I remember we agreeing that we’d need to be more discreet."

Arthur looked away, visibly annoyed, but seemingly without arguments against it. He sighed. "Alright, you're probably right."

"What did you want to talk about?" Merlin asked.

"Come on, I'll tell you on our way," Arthur said, nodding toward the parking lot and already starting to step away as he reached for the key in his pocket, waiting for Merlin to follow.

"On the way to where?" Merlin stayed put, thinking it odd that Arthur was leaving on time. He hadn’t left before seven o'clock during the last few days.

"To your house." Arthur stopped to face him. "I thought we'd do something tonight. You could grab some clothes and go to mine–"

"I already have plans." Merlin interrupted him. "I promised Will I’d play with him."

Arthur grunted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Didn’t you spend enough time with him last night?" Arthur spoke in a complaining tone. "He stayed at yours until almost midnight!"

"Yes, but I don’t have a game console at home, do I? And we haven’t hung out last week." Merlin retorted, harsher than he intended to, earning a glance from Arthur which nearly made him give up picking a fight and get in the car with him. Nearly. "Look, you don’t have to take me home. I'll take the tube. You should get some rest.”

"I can rest after I drive you home, Merlin," Arthur said, reaching for Merlin's arm. "Come on, get in the damn car already."

"Arthur!" Merlin grumbled, pulling away from him. "I said I'll take the tube! You're not the only one who had a bad day, alright?"

Arthur seemed about to argue, but he took a deep breath eventually, pinching the bridge of his nose. He shifted from one foot to the other. "Alright," he conceded grudgingly. "Call me before going to bed."

Merlin turned his back to Arthur in case he tried to move closer, returning to the elevator. When the doors closed, Merlin slumped, all his vengeful satisfaction replaced by sadness. He banged his head against the mirror.

.Merlin.

"No problem," Arthur assured the customer on the other end of the line, not taking his eyes off Merlin, who laughed at something Gwaine was saying. "It's already rescheduled, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience again.”

Arthur hung up the phone and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It had been more than ten minutes since Merlin had bent over Gwaine's desk to look at his computer screen, and what had begun with a serious conversation about some report had ended with Gwaine making jokes and Merlin laughing, bringing him almost to tears. Gwaine didn’t even try to disguise the pleasure he obtained from Merlin’s contagious laughter.

Arthur was about to get up to call Gwaine with some excuse when his phone rang again. Arthur recognized it was from Morgana's branch and sighed.

"Any news about your father-in-law?" He asked as he answered. Leon had received a call that morning with the news that his father had suffered a stroke, and Arthur had dismissed him immediately, guaranteeing that he would help in any way he could, starting by getting Leon out of the office.

" _ Not much, _ " Morgana said. " _ The doctors say it's too early to tell if there is any damage or if it is recurring. _ "

"I see." Arthur looked away from Merlin and pressed the bridge over his nose. "You intend to go to Manchester?"

" _ Well, about that... _ " she began in a tone that made Arthur catch his breath. " _ You know tomorrow’s Mr. Cooper's 50th birthday, from Implementation Division, don’t you? _ "

"Morgana, no, don’t even think about it," Arthur said quickly. "Tomorrow is Saturday! I have plans with Merlin–"

" _ I'm sorry, Arthur, but I didn’t plan for my boyfriend's father to have a stroke, you know? _ " Morgana sounded sarcastic, but then her tone subsided as Arthur grunted. " _ Look, I intended to go to the birthday party, I even bought a present, you can take it on your behalf, if you want– _ "

"No, Morgana," Arthur said flatly. "I'm sorry, but I can’t! Ask father to go, this time–"

" _ He's in Newbury with Catrina. _ " Morgana interrupted him.

Arthur's eyes widened. "Newbury?" Arthur asked incredulously. "At the cottage in Newbury, you mean?"

" _ Yes. With Catrina, _ " Morgana remarked.

Arthur cursed, trying not to imagine his father with his girlfriend at the same place he had taken Merlin to a few weeks ago. It would surely ruin his memories of the cottage.

"But didn’t he say he was having a family lunch this weekend?"

" _ Apparently he changed his mind. _ "

"Why, he may as well get back to London for Mr. Cooper’s birthday–" Arthur began, but Morgana stopped him again.

" _ Arthur, be reasonable. What do you think he's going to say if he has to come back because you don’t want to go to an event on behalf of the company? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t my only alternative! I swear I won’t ask you to attend any event after this one, if I can help it. _ ”

Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head irritably. He could  _ not _ believe his luck. This week had begun so well, especially with Merlin sending him texts before seven o’clock on monday! How could he have guessed that everything would go to shit so fast? Now Merlin and Arthur hadn’t talked all week, for one reason or another. Arthur had barely had time to eat his lunch with the amount of work he had to deal with, and he and Merlin hadn’t exchanged more than a few messages and short phone calls, filled with heavy silences. Merlin had been strangely distant and evasive for the last few days, and Arthur had no idea what was happening. So he had planned the weekend carefully so they would spend most of their time together. But now...

" _ Arthur– _ " Morgana began again, but Arthur cut her off.

"Leon needs you with him, but don’t expect me to do this without a price."

" _ Sounds fair, _ " Morgana sighed. " _ I'll come in later to leave the gift. _ "

Arthur hung up the phone and walked to the living room door, putting his head out. "Merlin," he called, more harshly than he intended.

Merlin lifted his head to look at him, startled, the smile dying on his face. Arthur motioned for Merlin to come into his room and sat down again, clicking and unclicking his pen frantically as he waited.

"What is it?" Merlin asked as he entered, looking a little apprehensive, in a way Arthur was no longer accustomed to.

"Sit down," Arthur commanded and waited until he obeyed. "I think we'd better skip the pub tonight and go straight to the club," he said without preamble.

"What? Why?" Merlin frowned.

"There's been an incident with Leon’s father, Morgana is going to Manchester and I have to go to a birthday party on Saturday, so let's enjoy tonight..." Arthur broke off at Merlin's betrayed face, cursing himself inwardly.

"But I already told everyone I would join them." Merlin pointed to the outside of the aquarium. "It will look suspicious if we both cancel, right now, right?" He sounded sarcastic.

"Damn." Arthur rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Okay, you want to go to the pub, let's go to the pub, but, one hour max, okay?"

"Okay, I guess." Merlin shrugged.

"We can do something on Saturday afternoon," Arthur offered. "And you're going to watch the game on Sunday, right? At the club?"

Merlin merely shrugged again, and his indifference made Arthur squeeze his pen harder.

"Is that all?" Merlin asked, already getting up. "Can I go to Development’s now?"

Arthur nodded, unable to say another word and watched as Merlin left the room, beckoning to Gwaine on his way out. The way Merlin’s expression shifted to a happier one as he left the room didn’t go unnoticed by Arthur, who watched it happen with a frown on his face. Arthur also noticed how Merlin had changed his lunch schedule so he could meet the other trainees in the break room. Arthur had tried to persuade him the night before to go to lunch together, but Merlin had given some evasive excuse that his mother had already prepared him food and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by not eating it. Merlin was also deliberately spending more time in Development’s division, out of his sight.

Arthur didn’t want to think about that possibility, but he was beginning to wonder if Merlin was having second thoughts about their relationship. Was he getting tired? Was Arthur pressing him more than he should? Maybe they were going too fast. Maybe the fact that they spent so much time together the week before had been hasty. Maybe it had been nothing more than a fever to Merlin, that attraction to an older, more experienced man, and now he was realizing that it wasn’t quite what he wanted...

The phone rang again, and Arthur shook his head, shooing those disturbing thoughts away. There was a reason not to think about it.

"Yes, Miss Wust?" He turned to the operator, forcing himself to concentrate on his work again.

.M.

Arthur had never imagined things could get any worse by the end of the day. The trip to the pub was short but catastrophic. Starting with the fact that Percy, for some reason, wasn’t present and Merlin had chosen to sit right next to Gwaine.

"And when do you intend to take us to your yacht this year, Princess?" Gwaine asked at some point. He had brought the chair closer to Merlin and put one of his arms around his shoulders.

Arthur thought seriously of ignoring the comment, but that made the other occupants of the table confront him in chorus.

"Yacht?" Merlin asked, frowning. "Arthur has a yacht?"

"Ah, that's right!" Elyan commented cheerfully. "Merlin doesn’t know about the yacht!"

"Every year Arthur invites everyone for a weekend on his yacht in Bournemouth in the summer," Gwen offered, solicitous. "You ever been to Bournemouth, Merlin?"

"No," Merlin looked down at his beer.

"It's wonderful," Elyan cut in. "We stayed on the high seas most of the time ..."

"We swam with dolphins once, remember?" Lance joined the conversation.

"Dude, that was great," Elyan agreed.

"Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom," Mordred said suddenly, staggering slightly as he got up, but refusing Lance's help to sign. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he assured him, moving away quickly.

"What’s up with him?" Elyan asked in a low voice, earning a crossed glance from his sister.

"Of the last few times we went there, Kara was with him, remember?" Gwen said

Elyan's eyebrows shot up. "Ah, dude..." he glanced toward the bathroom, worried. "Is he okay? He doesn’t look well, does he? Did anyone see how much he drank?"

They kept arguing about Mordred, but Arthur's attention was still on Merlin, who kept his face down, drawing random patterns on his half-empty beer bottle.

"So?" Gwaine called everyone’s attention again, startling Merlin out of his trance. “When will we go to Bournemouth? I need to know in advance to book the date on my calendar!"

"No need to worry about your schedule," Arthur said wryly. "I'm not planning anything for this summer."

"What? Why?" Gwaine was indignant as the others stared at him in surprise.

"But..." Elyan complained. "You spend a fortune on that yacht to enjoy once a year and you’ll just let the opportunity pass like this?"

The others joined in the protest, but Arthur ignored them, his gaze fixed on Merlin, who still stared down, his expression serious. Arthur pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted.

'Forget these losers. You and me on my yacht next weekend, how about that?'

Arthur had to disguise a satisfied smile when he saw Merlin checking his own phone, but his smile soon died as he watched he put his phone away without answering, an even more closed expression on his face.

_ What the hell? _ Arthur thought confused.

"What's troubling you, Princess?" Gwaine asked, his hand now on Merlin's waist, who did absolutely nothing to dislodge it. "First you don’t call us to your cottage, then you don’t show up to watch the game at Percy's house and now the yacht! Are you finally acting like the spoiled little sod you are?"

Arthur squeezed his jaws so as not to give a rude answer to his friend, opting to down his whiskey, instead.

"He was always a snob, you know, Merlin?" Gwaine spoke, close to Merlin's ear, making Arthur hold his glass tighter. "But he's never been such a prick, ditching his friends like that!"

"Hey, where's Mordred?" Gwen asked, concerned. "He should be back already, shouldn’t he?"

"I'll go look for him," Arthur offered, already getting up, taking the chance to pull away before he did something he’d regret.

What the fuck was happening? Why was Merlin avoiding looking at him like that? Why wasn’t he frustrating Gwaine's advances? He knew how much that drove him out of his mind! If Merlin was trying to deliberately get to him, he was doing a great job of it. Arthur couldn’t even think straight.

His problems were relegated to the back of his mind, however, when he saw Mordred bent over the bathroom sink, crying.

"Christ, Mordred," Arthur exclaimed, placing a hand on the boy's back as he sobbed even harder, hiding his face in his hands. "What happened?"

"She called me yesterday," Mordred said, sobbing. "She said she's thinking about staying in Norway, getting a job there–" he sobbed again. "And I couldn’t say a word! I just listened and said that it was fine by me, if that’s what she wanted to do."

Arthur sighed, feeling bad for his friend, but at a complete loss of what to do. He couldn’t comfort anyone. On the rare occasions when he witnessed Morgana or Mithian crying, Arthur had simply stuffed them with chocolates until they had stopped sobbing.

"Hey, don’t be like that," Arthur said uselessly, patting Mordred on the back. "Tell her you want her back. Just... perhaps not today."

Mordred laughed through the tears, but his face squirmed in regret.

"My God, how pathetic am I?," he moaned.

"You're not pathetic," Arthur assured him. "It's you’re just going through a tough situation, but it's going to be all right..."

Mordred nodded, though he didn’t seem very convinced.

"I think I'd better go," he said, sniffling and turning on the tap to pour water on his face.

"Come on, I'll call you a cab," Arthur offered.

Arthur waited for him to pull himself together and escorted him outside the pub, guiding him to one of the taxis with one hand on his back. "Do you want me to come with you?" Arthur offered as he leaned into the car to face his friend, worried.

Mordred offered him a small, reassuring smile. "Thank you for everything, but I’ll probably be fine."

"Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Mordred thanked him again and Arthur patted his knee before straightening up, closing the cab door. When he looked back, Merlin stared at him, his arms folded and his face somber.

"Hey–" Arthur started, but Merlin looked away and took a few steps toward the next cab. "Hey!" Arthur shouted, reaching for him and holding him by the elbow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," Merlin said, trying to pull away. "Arthur, let me go."

"Let you go, my ass!" Arthur snapped, feeling the suppressed anger flood into his chest again. "We're going out, or have you forgotten?"

"No, I didn’t forget," Merlin snarled back. "I'm just doing you the favor of freeing you of your plans with me before your friends are suspicious or something. In fact, you should let go of me before any of them see us. I mean, it's okay if you're seen in Mordred's company, but God forbid you being seen alone with me! "

He tried to pull away again, but Arthur held him tighter, not even caring if he left marks on Merlin’s arms.

"What the hell are you talking about, Merlin?"

"Hey, everything alright here?"

Arthur closed his eyes and clenched his jaws at the sound of Gwaine's voice, and Merlin took advantage of his momentary distraction to pull himself free of his grasp in a swift movement and walk towards the cab.

"Gwaine, stay out of this," Arthur warned, following Merlin, but the boy got in the car before he could reach him again. "Merlin!" Arthur held the door before he closed it. "We aren’t finished here yet!"

"Oh, we're finished," Merlin assured him, keeping his arm stretched out to stop Arthur from entering. "I'm sorry for ruining your plans, Arthur, but you can still take Mordred if you want, or Daisy, so you don’t have to worry about anyone spotting you together."

Arthur felt as if he had been punched in the chest and was startled to hear the door on the other side of the car open as Gwaine entered.

"I'll go with you, Merlin," Gwaine offered, settling in without waiting for the answer.

"Sure, why not?" Merlin shrugged and took advantage of Arthur's surprise to slam the door shut.

Arthur watched as the cab pulled away, completely stunned.

.M.

No matter how much he needed a strong drink, Arthur wasn’t in the mood for company for the rest of the night, so he said goodbye to his friends at the pub and went back to his apartment, taking a bottle of whiskey out of the closet and sitting in front of the TV while drinking. Shortly after he arrived, he received a message from Gwaine.

' _ Relax, Princess. I delivered him home, safe and sound. _ '

Arthur pressed the dial button as soon as he read the message and Gwaine answered on the second ring.

"What is fucking  _ wrong  _ with you?" Arthur accused, desperate to take out some of his frustration on someone, and if Gwaine was the only option, so be it. He deserved it, after messing with him all night.

" _ Hey, calm down! I was just trying to help! _ "

"I told you not to step in," Arthur shouted. "You probably only made it worse for me!"

" _ Not that you needed help with that, mind you. _ " Gwaine sounded sarcastic.

"Now, don’t act like I don’t know you were waiting for this moment just so you could comfort him."

" _ You know I'm your friend, right? I know my boundaries, _ " Gwaine said, and Arthur snorted skeptically. " _ Look, he didn’t want to tell me what's going on and I don’t think I want to know, to be honest. But I can tell for sure that he's not at all happy with you. _ "

_ “Really?”  _ Arthur spat out sarcastically. "If you didn’t tell me, I never would’ve guessed."

" _ Give him time, Arthur, _ " Gwaine said, with a sense of seriousness that was disturbingly alien on him. " _ You can talk to him with a clear head in the morning. There's no point in pushing him now. _ "

"But I haven’t a fucking clue what this is all about! Suddenly he said a lot of things at my face about Daisy and... and Mordred... What the hell does Mordred have to do with it?"

" _ I can think of one or two things, but, hey, _ " Gwaine amended before Arthur could question him. " _ Call him tomorrow, I'm sure you'll set things right again. _ "

Arthur hung up and poured himself another shot of whiskey.

.Merlin.

Arthur didn’t call Merlin the next day. He was too angry and he feared he’d say something he might regret later. Then he did something he hadn’t done in a long time: he spent the whole day working in his office, answering emails and reviewing presentations and reports. That night, he attended Cooper's party unaccompanied – it was just a birthday party, after all – and played his role as a corporate board member, greeting friends, family, and co-workers, even offering to make a speech to the birthday boy. After that, he drank everything within his reach, ignoring Percy's reminders about the football match the tomorrow.

Not content with that, on reaching his apartment, Arthur drank almost the entire bottle of whiskey he had started the day before and threw up in the bathroom. On second thought, being able to get to the bathroom in time was a victory in itself. He woke up Sunday with a terrible hangover. He couldn’t remember the last time he had come to that point and he was relieved to find that he hadn’t sent any unworthy messages to Merlin while under the influence of alcohol, after checking his phone’s history from the previous night.

While enjoying his hangover, Arthur texted Merlin, reminding him of the game that afternoon. When Merlin didn’t answer, Arthur called. And called and called again. After the fifth call, which dropped right into the voicemail, Arthur was already too furious to leave a message. He put on his Camelot uniform after lunch and went to Merlin's house.

"Oh, hello, Arthur!" Hunith exclaimed, smiling at the sight of him. Then she frowned as she looked around. "Where's Merlin?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Arthur tried not to look as nervous as he felt. "He's not home," he more stated than he asked.

"He left early this morning, I thought he was with you, to be honest. Did you try calling him?"

"Voicemail," Arthur said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, regretting showing up when he recognized the true concern on the woman's face. "He must be out of battery," Arthur tried to reassure her. "He’s probably with Will."

"You're right." Hunith looked more relieved. "Come on in. I'll call Anne..."

"Thanks, but I can’t stay." Arthur ran his hand through his hair. "The guys are waiting for me at the club, perhaps Merlin’s already waiting for me there. I'll let you know if he shows up."

"Okay," Hunith nodded, still uncertain. "And I'll let you know if he shows up around here."

Arthur thanked her and forced a smile as he said goodbye, but he hadn’t taken two steps when she called him back. "Arthur, is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything’s fine," Arthur assured her. "We must have just missed each other. Probably a misunderstanding, it’s no big deal."

Hunith didn’t seem very convinced by that answer, but it didn’t stop him from leaving her at that.

The game was a complete wreck. Arthur couldn’t concentrate on the match, looking at the stands all the time, searching for Merlin, and trying to take it out on the ball every time he got close enough to kick it. When Arthur hit one of the opposing team’s players’ shin – hard enough to leave a mark – Gwaine suggested he sat down and Percy took the lead from then on.

When Arthur checked his phone again, there was a missed call from Merlin's house. He returned it.

" _ He's with his godfather, _ " Hunith said, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. " _ He said the phone is out of battery, but I told him to call you from Gaius's phone, didn’t he do it? _ "

"He must have," Arthur lied. "I was playing football, I haven’t checked all the missed calls yet, yours was the first one I returned."

Arthur thanked her again and hung up, already heading for the parking lot, too impatient to wait for the match to end. He couldn’t focus on the game anyway, and that was only making him angrier. He parked two blocks away from Merlin's building and walked the rest of the way. He sat on the stairs just outside Merlin’s door and waited, cursing himself for not taking a shower at realizing he still had his sweaty uniform on. He hated to be stalking him like this, but he couldn’t simply accept being ignored. He needed answers and he wouldn’t leave without them.

He lost track of time while he waited. His mood swung between anger, apprehension, resentment, fear, and denial. Each time Arthur heard someone approaching, his heartbeat sped up in anticipation, only to be disappointed when he saw someone else approaching. When Merlin finally appeared, climbing the stairs distractedly, Arthur let the air out of his lungs, but the relief soon gave way to apprehension as Merlin froze at spotting him, his eyes wide with surprise.

Arthur held his gaze with as much dignity as he could muster. He hadn’t noticed how much Merlin's hair had grown in the last few weeks. He looked younger like that, but at the same time his stubble made him look more mature than ever. Merlin’s shoulders slumped and he finished climbing the stairs in silence, coming to a stop in front of him, keeping a three steps distance between them.

"Did you plan to talk to me at all?" Arthur said, wounded, when Merlin didn’t say anything.

"It doesn’t matter now, does it?" Merlin retorted, sitting down and bringing his knees close to his body, his back against the wall.

"What's going on, Merlin?" Arthur asked, equally yearning for and fearing the answer. He couldn’t help but remember the last time they had found themselves in a similar situation, on Arthur's building’s staircase, after Merlin caught him with Elena. The very memory caused his mood to become darker.

Arthur watched as Merlin swallowed, avoiding his gaze.

"I can’t do this anymore, Arthur," Merlin said, his voice swaying and Arthur clenched his jaws together, watching as his worst fear came true while he was completely unable to stop it. "I know I was the one who suggested that we keep it all a secret, but I can’t do this anymore. I thought I could handle it, that I could wait as long as you needed me to, but I just realized I can’t. Not when you can be seen with everyone but me; not when you don’t want to tell your friends; nor even your sister!"

Arthur blinked, the surprise taking him out of his stupor like a bucket of cold water. "Merlin–" he began, but Merlin didn’t let him speak another word.

"You didn’t tell  _ anyone _ , Arthur!" Merlin stared at him, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, despite the accusation on his face. "Everyone who knows does so because they found out one way or another!"

Arthur closed his mouth again. He’d been about to say that Morgana knew, but it wasn’t as if he'd told her. She had worked it out by herself, just like everyone else.

"Do you have any idea how I felt when you recoiled away from me at the nightclub, when Cenred showed up?" Merlin let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head, and Arthur felt himself sink into guilt. "I told myself it was nothing personal and I even talked myself into it for a while, but then there was that night at the pub with Mordred." He wiped a tear from his face and Arthur had to fight the urge to bring him into a hug, but then Merlin's words hit him.

"What?" Arthur asked, genuinely confused. "What night? What are you talking about?"

"You couldn't sit next to me or someone would be suspicious, but you spent most of the evening with him!" Merlin sneered. "Talking, laughing, flirting..."

"What?" Arthur squealed, but Merlin didn’t seem to listen.

"And now you go to those stupid parties, where you can’t even think of taking me, but it's okay if you show up on Facebook with Mordred or Daisy or Mithian!"

Arthur’s gaped then, startled, but Merlin gave him no chance to say anything, standing up and pacing as he continued to pour out his frustrations on him like an avalanche.

"You didn’t even bother mentioning that you intended to go out with Daisy, did you?" "You knew she was into you. Fuck, you probably invited her  _ because _ of that, to boost your ego or something. You knew I wouldn’t approve of it, but who cares what I think? And you didn’t even bother mentioning Mithian! As if it wasn’t a big deal you bumping into your ex and still cheerfully pose for a photo with her! " He turned to face Arthur again, his face now contorted with anger. "Do you know how I felt when I saw those pictures? I felt like crap, something dirty and shameful that you sweep under the rug so that no one will see. I mean, it's okay as long as you keep me locked inside your apartment, or your cottage, or even your damn yacht, so that no one will see me with you. Not even Gwen! She's always so nice to me, asking what I've done over the weekend and, guess what? I can’t say a word! And you know what the worst thing is? "

Arthur swallowed. For God's sake, what could be worse than all this? Arthur wasn’t sure if he understood half of what Merlin’d said, and there was more to it?

"The worst thing is that you’ve tried to tell me that you weren’t ready to come out and that you’d probably never be!" Merlin continued, sobbing. "That whole story of being your lover while you keep up appearances for the rest of your kingdom; of having to share you with the Queen... God, I should’ve realized right then! Will tried to open my eyes to it, but–"

"Merlin, what the hell are you talking about?" Arthur tried to understand what he was saying, but Merlin beyond listening.

"But it's not like I could do anything to change that," Merlin continued, unshaken. "I can’t force you to come out your friends or to your family if you're not ready. I can’t force you out of the closet, can I? What kind of idiot would I be if I did something like that? Therefore I’m doing the only thing I can do to maintain my dignity.” He wiped his face and took a deep breath, staring right at Arthur.

"Merlin, no," Arthur said through gritted teeth. "Do not you dare–"

"I'm putting an end to this, Arthur," Merlin said firmly.

"No!" Arthur stood up in a panic, but Merlin raised his voice above his.

"You can send me to another sector, if you want, you can even end my contract, I don’t care, I just don’t want to keep going like this."

"Merlin, please,  _ listen to me _ !" Arthur nearly shouted the last words.

"I promise I'll give you back your laptop and your electric razor tomorrow, I just have to–"

"I don’t want the fucking laptop," Arthur interrupted, trying to reach out for Merlin, but he shook himself away from his grasp. "I just want you to listen to what–"

"I'm sorry, Arthur." Merlin shook his head, sobbing, his face contorting. "I can’t– I–"

Merlin walked past him, running up the stairs to his apartment.

"Merlin!" Arthur's cry out was followed by the sound of the door slamming and then it’s echo in the narrow hallway. "Fuck!" Arthur roared, pounding the wall, scaring an old lady up the stairs.

Arthur blinked several times to stop the tears, apologizing to the lady as he passed her. When he reached the street, he was completely lost, breathing heavily, as if he had run a marathon. He ran his hands through his hair, looking around, searching for his car before he remembered where he had parked it. When he reached it, his hand trembled as he held the key and he cursed, punching the steering wheel. He collapsed on top of it then, sobbing and crying openly, as he hadn’t done in a long time.

.M.

"Merlin, what–" Merlin heard his mother say as he made his way to his room and looked down so that she wouldn’t see his face, but she caught him before he could reach the hallway. "Merlin! Was it Arthur who was shouting?"

"Mom, please," Merlin tried to pull away as he wiped his face, but she grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to face her.

"Merlin... Oh, my dear..." Her tone became understanding the moment their eyes met and Merlin was unable to stop the tears from coming again as he shook with full-body sobs. "Come here, sweetheart." Hunith pulled him into her until Merlin had his face in her chest, even though he had to make himself smaller for that as he allowed himself be hugged. "Shhh, it's going to be alright, love..."

Merlin wanted to believe that, he really wanted to, but he couldn’t imagine how things could ever be alright again.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ Muse – Madness.
> 
> This is the end of part 2!


	24. Part 3 - Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's like Lexi says, I can't leave you guys suffering for too long.
> 
> Also, the super fast update is totally her fault! :)

**Part 3**

**Chapter 23**

**29th week**

Arthur refused to drink on Sunday night, he was responsible enough to deal with it like an adult. On Monday, he followed his morning routine, but he thought it best to leave his phone at home as he ran, so he wouldn't be tempted to put on some music. He was sure he could deal with that situation without making a fuss. All he had to do was focus on his work – there was certainly enough of it to keep him efficiently occupied.

The first hour of work went by smoothly as always. Arthur ignored Gwaine's worried looks, made some calls, and talked to Leon – who had returned from Manchester on Sunday – in order to get up to date with his father’s recovery. When Merlin arrived, however, Arthur saw all of his well-built defenses collapse at first glance. He had to look again, unable to believe his own eyes.

Merlin had cut his hair. Not merely trimmed the ends, but really cut it, leaving it short at the top of his head, as it used to be at the beginning of his internship. Arthur had a flashback of that first day, remembering how Merlin had called him an asshole, and somehow that had made Arthur see him with something close to admiration and respect, things he didn't usually concede at first impressions.

Merlin had shaved his beard too, displaying his usual open smile, good-naturedly greeting his co-workers. Unlike the other times, however, instead of heading straight to Arthur's office, he went to Gwen's desk, sitting down to talk to her. Arthur averted his eyes, feeling heartbroken and betrayed. The hurt soon gave way to anger and he grabbed the car keys, deciding to leave early for his first visit of the day. He had to sort out his equipment by himself, but it wasn't like he wasn't used doing it before Merlin.

Arthur didn't return to the office that day, making arrangements with Leon on the phone to get done with all the street work while his friend took care of things in the office. By the end of the day, he was exhausted, but determined to get over it.

Tuesday was a little more complicated. Arthur managed to avoid Merlin in the morning, but the client in the afternoon asked to reschedule the visit. He ended up having to go back to the office sooner than expected and nearly bumped into Merlin as he got out of the elevator.

"I'm sorry–" Merlin began to apologize, but stopped short as he stared at his supervisor, his eyes widening. "Oh..." He cleared his throat, lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should look where I’m heading to." Merlin walked around Arthur and entered the elevator, holding the door open.

Arthur frowned, wondering if Merlin was inviting him to join him in the elevator, but then he noticed another intern – that Gili guy – standing in front of him, looking rather uncertain.

"Mr. Pendragon," the boy greeted, looking from Arthur to Merlin, and only then did Arthur realize that he was blocking the way to the elevator.

Arthur stepped aside, giving him a cold look, and the boy nodded in thanks, joining Merlin in the elevator.

"I'm on lunch break," Merlin announced when the elevator doors didn't close fast enough. “Just heading down to the Kitchens.”

"Sure." Arthur said, looking from one to the other without bothering to disguise his displeasure until the doors closed on them.

Arthur spent the next hour trying not to imagine Merlin having lunch with Gili. He refused to join his friends for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon on tea and coffee – he had called one of the scullery maids to arrange a bottle of coffee for him, since he wasn't used to have it – ignoring the burning in his stomach and pretending to work while watching his intern. Merlin had come back from lunch looking carefree and humorous, making Elyan laugh at something and ducking from a paper ball Gwaine threw at him. Merlin also talked to Mordred, apparently offering to help him with a few copies.

Arthur noticed every detail of Merlin's look, the way he'd probably spent some time tidying his hair to get that stripped-down look, the leather strap on his left wrist, his newly washed sneakers. He wondered if Merlin would go out after work. Maybe with his fellow interns, with whom he seemed to spend more and more time by the day, or perhaps with his college friends. Maybe he’d even wear makeup...

That thought made Arthur furiously grit his teeth. Merlin would probably be seeing other people soon enough – if he wasn't already there; he was probably going out with boys his age, with whom he could go out every night to dance; maybe even having some casual hook-ups with guys he knew at the club. The mere thought of the possibility of another person kissing Merlin, touching him, fucking him–

The noise of the pen breaking made Arthur turn his gaze away from Merlin and down at his own hand. There was a red mark on his palm, where he had pressed it, but fortunately it hadn't broken skin. He tossed it in the trash and grabbed another in his drawer, tossing it on the table and straightening his tie, his breathing heavy.

There was nothing he could do to stop it; he would have to learn to live with it. Merlin was free to go out with whoever he wanted. As important as Merlin had been in Arthur's life, to Merlin, Arthur had only been the first of many. Merlin was young, handsome, captivating, brilliant and had a promising career ahead of him – probably at Pendragon, now that he no longer had the constant threat of his relationship with the director being out in the open to worry about. Merlin wouldn't be single for long, and the worst thing was that Arthur would probably have to watch closely while the boy fell in love and had his heart broken by other guys.

Unable to deal with his own thoughts, Arthur called Leon's branch. "Please tell me you have a visit now," he practically begged.

"No, I'm sorry," Leon apologized. "I did mine in the morning, but I think I heard Gwaine say something about meeting Stevenson–"

"Shit," Arthur cursed. He didn't want to beg to Gwaine, for whatever reason; Gwaine would probably hold it against Arthur for the rest of his life.

"What's going on, Arthur?" Leon sounded worried.

"Nothing." Arthur lied.

Leon sighed. "You know you can count on me, don't you? We can go out after work, if you’d like; have a drink, talk; it's been awhile since we hang out, just the two of us."

"Maybe some other day," Arthur said.

He hung up and debated with himself for a moment, but ended up calling Gwaine, who agreed on giving in his meeting with Stevenson to Arthur, but not before making him promise some compensation, obviously. Arthur focused on being up-to-date with the progress of Stevenson's project before leaving.

.M.

"Here it is," Merlin said, handing the notebook to Will, whose eyes brightened.

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

Merlin smiled, thinking how much it must have cost his friend to ask that question. "Of course, it's all yours," Merlin assured him.

"Jesus, you are the best friend in the world. Have I told you that you're the best friend in the whole world?" Will hugged the notebook, rubbing his face in it as if it were a cute little puppy. Then he became serious again. "Er... You made sure to delete all the nudes you took with him, right? And the compromising videos?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, slumping onto Will's couch. "No need to worry, I wiped the drive. Besides, there was no compromising photo or video to begin with, neither mine nor his."

Merlin was ready to get rid of all of his photos of Arthur and the text history of their conversations over the phone, but his mother managed to persuade him not to take any drastic measures, saying that he might regret it later. "It's still very fresh, like an open wound," Hunith had argued, but Merlin doubted he could ever look at it without feeling his heart shatter all over again. Before wiping the hard drive, however, Merlin decided to backup everything, just in case.

"Good." Will breathed a sigh of relief. "You can have my computer so you don't have to buy yourself another one."

"Thank you. I’ll come get it over the weekend."

Despite what he'd told Will, Merlin had no intention of buying another notebook. He had his savings, but he'd rather keep them in case he came to need them in the near future. Gaius had assured him that he would take him back to the apothecary if he got kicked out of Pendragon Consulting, but Merlin knew his godfather couldn't afford much.

Will started to open the computer, but he seemed to think better of it and left it on the kitchen table, joining Merlin on the couch.

"Hey... Are you sure you want to go out? ‘Cause we can stay here if you don't feel like it–"

"Will, you've been pestering me about this fucking movie the whole weekend!"

"I know, I know, but..." Will sighed. "That was before you... you know..."

"Before Arthur and I broke up," Merlin completed the sentence, shaking his head. "You don't have to mince words with me, okay? I'm fine, I'm not in denial; I'm the one who put an end to it, remember?"

Will grunted something inaudible, and Merlin gave him a sideways glance.

"What is it?" Merlin nudged. "Come on, out with it."

"You're not fine at all," Will accused, and Merlin crossed his arms, sulking, ready to defend himself, but Will continued with his accusations. "You think I don't know you? I know this is tearing you up inside. You don't have to pretend everything's okay, and you don't have to go to the movies with me just to shut me up."

"But I don't want to stay home!" Merlin insisted. "I want to do something, to get my mind off things. And playing video games is not an option, it's no use–"

"Alright, alright." Will held up his hands in surrender. "You want to go out, we're going out, but we don't have to go catch a movie.” He suggested, as if the idea had just crossed his mind. "You pick the place; it might even be a gay nightclub, I don't care. I mean, as long as it has lesbians too, of course."

Merlin sighed. "I'm not in the mood for partying, Will. The movie is fine."

The truth was that he had only gone out to nightclubs with Arthur until then, and he didn't think seeing other men sucking face would improve his mood.

"Okay, so that's settled, let's go to the movie theater, but you can choose the film."

"Of course." Merlin rolled his eyes, aware that it was better to let Will choose it himself if he didn't want to hear him complaining during the entire film. "Let's go," he said, getting up, but Will pulled him back to the couch.

"It's too early. Wanna have something to drink?" Will offered. "I have some bottles of a Russian beer I got from one of my father's relatives, and I saved it for a special occasion, what do you say?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No thanks." Merlin shifted uneasily. "If I start drinking, I'll probably give up on the movie."

"So..." Will said after a while and Merlin groaned inwardly. "How are things in the office?"

"Not too different," Merlin admitted. "I'm waiting for someone to give me the news that I've been transferred to another division or that I have to stop by the HR’s to sign my resignation notice or something, but there has been no mention of anything like that, so far."

"And how is he behaving?"

"Decently, I suppose." Merlin shrugged. "We haven't seen each other that much, to tell you the truth; he's been spending most of his time out in the field, visiting clients. We've only interacted once and that's only because I almost tripped over him."

"You, tripping over someone?" Will sneered. "Shocking."

"I know." Merlin looked down on his hands, too tired to be offended by the remark. "Basically, that's it."

"Well, things will get better over time," Will said, patting Merlin on the arm. "Or so I heard."

"In the movies." Merlin nodded.

"Exactly." Will brightened. "I think we're in the final minutes, right at the part where you find someone else who's really worth it and who probably was there all along, but you didn't notice because you were busy crushing on the posh dickhead."

"And here I thought you were a hundred percent straight," Merlin said sarcastically.

"Hey, that's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Will?"

"Yes?"

"You suck at this comforting business."

"I'm glad you noticed. Can I stop now?"

"Please."

"Thank God... How about we go catch that movie right now?"

Merlin didn't pay much attention to the film. He didn't take his eyes off the screen and knew there was a lot of hardcore action scenes, thrilling chases, gunshots that only hit the bad guys, but he couldn't keep up with the story and had to wipe his eyes discreetly half through the movie so that Will wouldn't notice he’d been crying.

He hadn't lied to Will, Arthur was treating him fairly decently. The fact that he hadn't sent Merlin on some dull task like going to the Warehouse retrieve some useless box of paper was proof enough of that. Yet, sometimes Merlin was surprised that he hadn't kicked him out of his division. At least that way Merlin wouldn't have to pretend everything was okay or watch while Arthur blatantly avoided him. Arthur had probably dealt with that kind of situation before, since it didn't seem that much of a deal to him to see the ex-boyfriend every day. He should be relieved now that he didn't have to deal with someone as inexperienced and needy as Merlin anymore. Maybe that's why he preferred Mordred's company, after all. Merlin didn't want to think about it, though, nor have to mull over it for the better part of his day. Fortunately, that was the last week of summer break, so he would soon return to work only part time, which meant less time avoiding awkward confrontations.

"How about that Russian beer now?" Will offered at the end of the film.

Apparently Merlin hadn't been as discreet as he'd imagined.

.M.

Merlin awoke in the middle of the night, trembling, sweating, and anxious. He had dreamed that Arthur had married Gwen and that Mordred had challenged him to a duel when he found out. Merlin had tried to stop them from dueling, but he had come too late and watched helplessly as they both died and Morgana laughed like mad. He couldn't will himself to sleep again for the rest of the night so he promised himself he would never drink Russian beer again.

.Merlin.

On Tuesday night, Arthur made a serious mistake: he gave in to the urge to open the notebook without a specific purpose and with a brand new bottle of whiskey in hand – he had made his purchase order online that morning.

As he suspected, Merlin had changed his status on Facebook to 'single' again and since then, there had been plenty of messages on his Facebook and Twitter page, most of them party invitations and some condolence messages. Merlin didn't have many pictures on his profile, but the few he had made Arthur drink the most part of the bottle. It wasn't long before Arthur found the photos of Muirden's party on his own Facebook and he went over them several times, trying to see through Merlin's eyes, even though the amount of alcohol he had ingested wasn't helping on that matter.

Arthur must have passed out at some point, for he woke up at dawn with his head throbbing, his neck aching from his awkward position and his stomach twisting. Instead of taking something for the hangover, however, Arthur decided to finish drinking the bottle of whiskey.

He woke up again with a irritating noise and covered his ears for as long as possible, but his phone kept ringing and someone had stuck his finger on the intercom and forgotten it there, apparently.

He cursed, groping for his ringing phone. "Wha’sit?"

"Oh, thank God." Leon's voice sounded worried on the other end of the line when the buzzing of the intercom ceased. "I was just about to call the police. Or worse, your sister." Arthur only grunted in response, pulling the phone out of his ear as Leon continued. "Will you please open the door for me, or will I have to call the concierge?"

"Christ, Leon, wold you to shut up please?"

Arthur hung up, but Leon mercilessly attacked the intercom again. Swearing and cursing, Arthur stumbled into the bathroom to empty his bladder – it seemed he’d keep peeing forever – and staggered out of the room, cursing the light and holding onto the railing hard enough to keep from getting off balance. He pressed the intercom button and left the door unlocked, then opened the refrigerator and got himself a beer. He dropped onto one of the high stools then and propped his elbows on the counter as he waited for Leon to come up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leon's voice reverberated in his skull.

"Shhhh!" Arthur asked, covering his ears.

Leon didn't seem to sympathize with his pain; On the contrary, he nearly shouted as he leaned in to have a close look on him. "Oh my God, Arthur, what happened to you?" He asked, taking off his jacket and putting it on the back of a chair.

Arthur frowned at noticing his clothes. "Why are you dressed like that?" Arthur asked, bringing the beer to his lips, but Leon took it from his hand before he could take a sip.

"Arthur, for God's sake... Do you have any idea what time it is? Or even what day is it?"

"Would you to stop with all the shouting?" Arthur grunted, leaning over the counter with his hands in his ears. “I'm right here!”

Leon cursed as he paced the kitchen, opening the tap and fumbling in his closets. "Do you have any coffee here, by any chance?" Leon asked.

Arthur ignored him. "He broke up with me, Leon," he whined. "He said I made him feel like crap."

"Here," Leon said, forcing him to straighten up and thrusting a glass under his nose. "Drink it."

Arthur pushed the glass away.

"Did you hear what I said?" Arthur insisted like a spoiled child. "He dumped me, because I didn't take him to that stupid party, because I invited Daisy instead, because..." Arthur rubbed his eyes. "The fuck I know why. I bet it's nothing but lame excuses, if you want to know."

"Whatever you say." Leon dragged the glass in front of him again. "It's a shame, but you're not gonna be able to fix things like that."

"Fix things?" Arthur scoffed. "There's no way to fix it, he doesn't want to hear from me anymore. What would he want with an old man like me?

"Old man?" Leon sounded confused. "Are you kidding me?"

"He probably already moved on." Arthur continued with his line of thought, ignoring his friend’s question. "He must be with someone his age. I bet it’s that Gili, that guy always looked at me like I'm something he found under his shoe."

"I have no idea who this Gili is, but I doubt Merlin has already moved on, Arthur–"

"He gave the MacBook to Will," Arthur interrupted Leon, pulling him closer by his tie. "The MacBook I gave him last week! He gave it to his best friend!"

Leon frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Will twitted about it! I saw it! Come here, I'll show you–" Arthur started to get up, but Leon held him in place.

"Where do you keep your aspirin?"

"You think he would've given Will the notebook if I still had a chance? No, I don't think so... And he cut his hair. I mean, he nearly shaved his head..." Arthur moaned. "Jesus, how I miss the smell of his hair..."

"Give him time, Arthur..."

"I gave him time!" Arthur shouted, exasperated. "I gave him a _whole_ _Saturday_! Just like Gwaine told me to do. And then, on Sunday, what did he do? Huh?”

"Ah, here it is," Leon said as he found the medicine drawer, placing an aspirin in front of him, beside the untouched glass of water. He went back to the stove when the kettle whistled. "I'd prefer you had some coffee, but you only have tea around here, so it'll have to do."

"Leon," Arthur whined, turning to face his friend. "You said I could talk to you!"

Leon sighed as he finished putting the water into the cup, bringing it to the counter and sitting down beside him. "You’re right, I did say that. I'm listening now."

Arthur leaned back against the counter. "I don't know what I'm doing, Leon. I can't concentrate on working when he's around, but I also can't send him away. I can't turn the radio on in the car anymore because every damn song reminds me of him, be it because he’d love it or hate it. I keep checking my phone, hoping to see some text from him, until I remember he won't be sending me any and the reason for that. And as of this fucking apartment?” Arthur shook his head. "I can't look at any corner of this place without seeing him. Even this fucking counter. Damn,  _ especially _ this fucking counter.” Arthur leaned his face against the icy marble, grunting.

"Okay, no need to go into details." Leon sounded disturbed.

"All this time," Arthur continued, straightening his spine and sniffing, "he was unhappy and I didn't realize it! I mean, I knew I was being an ass for hiding from everyone, but he always seemed so understanding about it! We’ve been together for only a month and a half and I was already considering inviting him to move in!” Arthur admitted, astonished to realize that it was true. "And then–" Arthur sobbed, rubbing at his eyes.

"Here." Leon took advantage of his pause to try and get him to take his aspirin and tea. Arthur obeyed this time. "Was it this serious?"

Arthur sniffed. "For me, yes." He sounded bitter to his own ears. "All this time... He was everything to me, Leon. I've never been so happy with anyone..."

"Have you said that to him?"

Arthur let out a mocking laugh and wiped away a tear that lingered on his face. "No, of course not. I was a coward. I thought I’d have all the time in the world to show him, but I did it all wrong. I asked him to be my lover, for God's sake!" Arthur sobbed, pressing his eyes. "I said he'd have to share me with the queen!"

"The queen?" Leon looked absolutely lost, then. "You lover? The hell are you talking about?"

"So I invited Daisy to come with me to the party," Arthur continued. He would probably feel embarrassed, later, for crying like that in front of his friend, but he couldn't care less about his dignity at the moment. "And I met Mordred there. Christ, I had no idea!" Arthur leaned across the counter again, sobbing uncontrollably now.

Leon patted his back saying some empty words Arthur didn't even pay attention trying to regain some control over himself.

He straightened up suddenly. "Oh my God, today is Wednesday!" Arthur rose at once, staggering at the sudden dizziness. "Shit, I have to go to the office!"

"Hey, calm down." Leon helped him sit down again. "Don't worry, Gwaine is already taking care of your appointments."

"What time is it?" Arthur asked, noting for the first time how clear it was. He looked at his friend’s suit again, finally realizing what all this meant. "Leon, what are you doing here? You shouldn't have come here."

"Relax, Arthur, everything is under control."

"Does Morgana know you're here?"

"Not yet, but I'll send her a message while you take a shower. I'll make up some excuse about the reason for you being late."

"You don't have to lie to her, she'll find out anyway. I don't know how that witch does that, but she’ll know right away that Merlin dumped me and that I couldn't handle it."

"Wait," Leon said, his voice suddenly sharper. "She knows?"

Arthur frowned, confused. "She didn't tell you?"

"No, Arthur, she didn't tell me," Leon grunted. "And all this time I've been watching my tongue not to say anything about it!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows, imagining that Morgana should have been amused by her boyfriend's efforts, purposefully teasing Leon – knowing he would blame himself for keeping secrets from her – but Arthur didn't want to cause any kind of conflict between the two of them.

"Fuck..." he cursed as he ran his hand over his face, feeling the catch of his stubble. He looked at himself, then, realizing he was still wearing the clothes he'd been working the day before. "Shit, I'm a mess!"

"I’ve seen better." Leon shrugged. "But it's nothing that a good shower can't solve."

.M.

When Arthur came out of the bathroom, Morgana was waiting for him, sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed and looking nothing short of determined.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked, frowning and checking the knot of the towel wrapped around his waist.

"I came to bring you some lunch and try to punch some sense into your thick head."

"Oh bugger." Arthur held his head as if physically trying to stop it from ache. "Look, Morgana, I know nothing can justify my not showing up this morning–"

"That's not what I'm talking about, Arthur." Morgana lifted her hands in the air, then got on her feet. "All right, I refuse to have this conversation while you're naked like that. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

Arthur watched as she stepped outside, then snorted. "Honestly," he mumbled and started to dress carefully, avoiding any sudden movement.

When he went downstairs, Morgana was sitting alone by the kitchen table with a few boxes of food scattered across it.

"Where's Leon?" Arthur asked as he joined her, moaning when his head throbbed as he sat down.

"He went back to the office," Morgana replied, to what Arthur felt relieved. He didn't think he would be able to face his friend after the scene he’d just made. "I can't stay too long either." Morgana dropped her silverware and wiped her mouth on a napkin. "I have to go back before Uther suspects anything."

"He doesn’t know I didn't go to work today?" Arthur tried not to sound so hopeful at the prospect.

"Apparently, you haven't spent much time in the office lately." Morgana sounded sarcastic. "So no one else suspected anything was off other than Leon, Gwaine and Gwen."

Arthur rubbed his hands in his face, resigned to his sister's scolding. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't earned it. "What do you want, Morgana?" He asked at last.

"First, I want you to eat, then I want you to be get your shit together, make yourself presentable, and get back to work. After that, I want you to work things out with Merlin."

"We broke up," Arthur said wearily.

"Yeah, that's what Leon told me but, you know what?" Morgana gazed at him gravely. "I can't believe you simply accepted it!"

"What do you mean, you don't believe it?" Arthur defended himself. "He said he doesn't want anything to do with me. What else can I do but accept it?"

"You can go after him," Morgana said fiercely. "You can fight for him. Get him back." Arthur opened his mouth to argue, but Morgana didn't let him speak, her tone softening, though only a fraction. "Arthur, you're the bravest man I know, the most loyal and kind of all. As for Mithian, that bitch never deserved you, and I'm sorry, but I thanked God when she betrayed you. I mean, at least she did it before you married her – and I know you would have married her, if it weren't for that. But I’ve seen how Merlin makes you happy. And you him! You can't just watch him step out of your life like that!”

"Morgana," Arthur groaned. "You don't understand... All I asked was for him to give me  _ one _ chance and I screwed it up!"

"So fix it!" Morgana stood up, pointing a finger at Arthur's chest, her expression more threatening than ever. "I don't care how, do whatever it takes, ask him for another chance, run after him, beg him if that's what it takes, I don't give a shit if you have to get on your fucking knees, just don't let him go without fighting for him!"

Stunned out of words, Arthur watched, as Morgana took her bag and tucked it into her arm.

"I'm going back. I'll call your branch in an hour and you better be there to pick up."

She left before Arthur could recover enough to articulate any response.

.M.

Merlin noticed the tense mood when he arrived that morning, but it wasn't as if the week hadn't been unusual enough. Arthur's office was empty, so Merlin simply assumed he had left to visit some client. Leon looked rather nervous, with the phone to his ear and a tense expression, and Gwaine's desk was empty too, so Merlin approached Gwen to offer some help.

"Ah, yes, of course I need help," Gwen's smile seemed unnatural. She looked around and Merlin did the same, noticing some people looking right back at them, Sophia Feix been one of them. "Hm, well, why don't you help me with some stuff in the store room?"

"Of course." Merlin followed her into the adjoining room.

As the door closed behind them, however, Gwen turned to face him, looking worried. "Okay, I don't usually stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but... In all these years, Arthur has never skipped work with no heads-up like this and Leon is trying to act as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening, but people are beginning to suspect, so–"

"Wow, wow, wait," Merlin said, confused. "Did you just say Arthur skipped work?"

"Without telling anyone!" Gwen agreed, fumbling with her necklace nervously. "I was hoping you knew something."

"No," Merlin shook his head, scratching the back of his neck. "We haven't talked to each other much lately. Are you sure he didn't just get here late and go straight to some appointment or something?"

"Arthur's never late," Gwen said promptly. "He's always the first to come in. And Leon checked his schedule, he had an appointment this morning, but he never showed up. Gwaine rushed out to cover him.”

Merlin frowned. It wasn't as if he didn't know Arthur's routine. He knew he always woke up early to run. He also knew how Arthur was responsible when it came to his work. Had something happened?

"I'm starting to get really worried." Gwen twisted her hands nervously. "I mean, I already suspected things between you were a little... off in the last few days, but I thought–"

She was interrupted by the door opening. "Gwen?" Leon asked gravely.

"He doesn't know!" Gwen whispered urgently, and Leon's expression became even more taciturn. "Did you manage to talk to him?" She asked.

"He won't answer his phone." Leon ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I'm going to his house. Do you think you can hold things together for a while?"

"Of course." Gwen nodded. "Don't worry about that."

Leon shot a strange look at Merlin before leaving, closing the door behind him again.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Merlin said, trying to convince himself.

"Yes, you're probably right." Gwen bit her bottom lip, looking uncertain. "Look, Merlin, I know it's none of my business, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but you and Arthur are friends! I know you care about each other; I mean, look what happened last time you had a fight, but this is so much worse! It's obvious that it's worse this time, whatever happened–"

"Gwen, I don't think this has anything to do with my... falling out with Arthur," Merlin interrupted her, feeling a little unsettled by her words. "Maybe he's with Morgana?" He tried.

Gwen shook her head. "Leon tried to state if she knew anything, but he didn't want to worry her. She thinks Arthur is working. But you're right, it probably has nothing to do with your fight, I'm sorry, it's not like I'm accusing you or something–"

"Forget it, Gwen." Merlin reassured her. "I know what you mean. I get it that you're just trying to help, but..."

"You want to talk about it? Merlin, you know you can talk to me, don't you?"

Merlin opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat and he let the air out of his lungs in a loud puff. "Gwen, I–"

"It's okay! It's okay." Gwen smiled, understanding. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I understand. Just... know that you can count on me whenever you need."

"Gwen, wait," Merlin groaned, frustrated, reaching for her friend's wrist as she moved to open the door. "Look, I really wish I could talk to you, honest to God, but I can't. I really, really can't."

"Oh, Merlin." Gwen hugged him and Merlin bent over, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "Don't worry, just promise me you'll work things out with him."

"I can't do that either, Gwen." Merlin sniffed and wiped his eyes as he pulled away. "I already said everything I had to say to him."

"But it's clear that you two are suffering!"

"It's not that simple!" Merlin felt like a child doing a temper tantrum.

Gwen sighed. "I suppose it really isn't my business." She was about to step away when Merlin spoke again.

"Have you asked Mordred if he knows about Arthur's whereabouts?"

"Mordred?" Gwen frowned. "Why Mordred?"

"Well, they seem to have gotten pretty close lately." Merlin tried to sound casual, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask." Gwen shrugged and Merlin followed her out of the room, watching from a distance as she approached Mordred, whispering to him.

Mordred frowned and shook his head a few times, looking confused, and no matter how much Merlin tried, he couldn't find anything suspicious about his attitude.

"Hey, Merlin!" Elyan called, causing Merlin to startle. "Can you help me with this monster?" He punched the printer. "It won't stop throwing up papers with smileys and hearts and hashtags–"

"Sure." Merlin helped him, glad to have something to occupy his mind. He assisted Elyan with the printer for the rest of the morning, looking around the empty aquarium with a tightness in his chest.

.M.

When Merlin got back from lunch, Leon and Gwaine were back. Leon was bent over on Gwaine's table talking to him in a hushed voice. Merlin couldn't help but catch some of the conversation as he passed them.

"–an empty bottle of whiskey in his room and I suspect he took it all at once," Leon said.

"Wow." Gwaine marveled. "Well, he must have had quite an amount then, for him not to show up at work like this. I mean, he's always been resilient when it comes to alcohol. I mean, nothing like me, of course."

Merlin had already reached his desk, but pretended to be busy with some papers as he heard Leon continue. "I swear, Gwaine, I've never seen him so drunk. He was devastated, he was still in the clothes he had came to work yesterday and he wouldn't stop mentioning–"

"Hey, Merlin?" Elyan called as he paused at his desk, startling him. "Have you finished your lunch break yet?"

"Oh, yeah, I have." Merlin nodded.

"Can you help me with some copies?"

Merlin nodded and followed Elyan to his desk. When he finished helping him, Leon was back at his desk, frowning in concern. He looked up at that moment, catching Merlin's gaze and pressing his lips together. For a moment, Merlin thought he was being judged, but then Leon gave him a brief nod before picking up the phone, and Merlin breathed a sigh of relief.

Merlin turned to Gwaine as he waved and approached him. "Are you going to blame me for it, too?" Merlin asked defensively.

"Too?" Gwaine raised an eyebrow. "Who's blaming you?"

"Gwen, Leon... You."

"Are you feeling guilty, by any chance?"

"No, it's not like I've done something wrong," Merlin said, then shifted uncomfortably at his friend's gaze.

"Relax, no one's blaming you" Gwaine messed his hair. "But you really should talk–"

"Don't get me started, Gwaine." Merlin cut him off.

Gwaine spread his hands in front of his chest. "Alright, forget I ever said that."

Merlin sent him a wounded look, but eventually let the air out of his lungs. "How is he?" He asked, unable to stop the concern from showing in his voice.

"He’ll survive." Gwaine shrugged. "It's not like it's his first heartbreak."

"Jeez, you made me look like an insensitive bastard, now." Merlin defended himself. "Just because I'm the one who broke up with him doesn't mean I'm the villain, you know?"

"Merlin, would you let your guard down, please?" Gwaine scolded him, suddenly serious. “Like I said, nobody's blaming you. I'm your friend, remember? I know you're hurting too, the only difference being that you didn't drink a whole bottle of whiskey so you didn't have to deal with it.” He sounded sarcastic and Merlin slumped. "Hey, don't worry, Leon said he should be back soon. Apparently, Morgana is making sure of that, therefore you can be sure he's coming.”

As predicted by Gwaine, Arthur did show up some time later. He had a five o’clock shadow and dark shadows under his eyes, but that didn't mean anything. It might very well be the result of a night out, as far as Merlin knew. Their gazes met for a brief moment and Merlin thought he saw some rather unusual vulnerability on Arthur's face. It was Merlin who looked away, heart racing, a lump forming in his throat.

.Merlin.

On Thursday, Arthur was already in his office when Merlin arrived at work. He was talking on the phone with a grave expression. Merlin went straight to Gwen, as he had done all that week long, wondering if she had some chores to give him. Just as it had happened the last few days, Arthur didn't call his extension, nor put his head out of the aquarium to yell for him; he didn't even send word to another employee to fetch him, and Merlin pretended he didn't miss any of it.

After lunch, Gwen called Merlin to his desk and asked him to hand over an envelope to Morgana. "Make sure you deliver it in hand, okay?"

Morgana's room was similar to Arthur's, but much more feminine and personal, tastefully decorated and with some scattered pots of lush, well-tended plants. Morgana was talking on the phone, but she offered him a small smile and motioned for him to sit down and wait while she chatted on.

"I don't care, I called dibs on you today," she said seriously. "Well, tell Lance that he’ll have you for the rest of the weekend; as for me– Gwen, I can't believe you're going to abandon me like this! I've even bought the lemons and those chocolates you love so much. I also dispatched Leon to his sister's–" She rolled her eyes to something Gwen said at the other end. "Yes, I know Lance made the reservation centuries ago, but he should have checked the date with you first!" She sighed. "Alright, fine... But you owe me this one. And tell Lance we're going to have to talk about his upcoming vacations." Morgana winked at Merlin, as if to say she was only joking. "Blah, blah, blah, I don't want to hear your apologies, you traitor. Yes, Merlin's already here. I love you too, though you clearly don't deserve it. Bye.” She hung up. “Honestly, they don't make best friends like they used to, don’t you think?"

"Oh, if you're displeased with  _ your _ best friend, I should introduce you to mine," Merlin joked, though he was a little nervous. As much as she liked Morgana, she was still quite scary.

"I think I’ve met him already, haven't I?" Morgana thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, I remember now, it was at Arthur's party! I think I remember his freckles, also his blue eyes that insisted on staring at my cleavage–"

"Yep, that's Will," Merlin nodded, and Morgana scrunched her nose in distaste. "Er… Gwen asked me to bring you this." He held out the envelope.

"Thank you, love," Morgana said sweetly. "And you're right, I have no reason to complain about Gwen except for the fact that she traded our girls' night for a romantic night with her boyfriend, and Leon has already called his brother-in-law to tell he’ll be visiting, so now I'm going to have to stuff myself with chocolates and alcohol all by myself…” she sighed, suffering, and then narrowed her eyes, tilting her head as if seeing him for the first time. "Hey, do you have any appointments tonight, Merlin?"

"Me?" Merlin's eyes widened. "Well... No, but–" he was about to say he wasn't very qualified for a 'girls night', but Morgana interrupted him with a beaming smile on his face.

"Why don't you come to my apartment, then? We can watch some movies and have some drinks... Do you like martini? No, wait, I bet you're a tequila person, just like Gwen. You can bring your boyfriend, if you want, so I can finally meet him!”

"Oh, well..." Merlin scratched his head awkwardly. "We... we broke up."

"Oh, poor thing," Morgana sounded sympathetic, but then she seemed even more determined them before. "One more reason for you to come, so you can tell me all about what happened... Or we can talk about something else, if you prefer," she amended, apparently interpreting Merlin's nauseated expression correctly. "Whatever you want. We can just drink and watch movies and have something to eat... What can I order for you? Do you like pizza? Or Chinese food? Anything you prefer, really."

Merlin was ready to refuse the invitation vehemently, but Morgana's enthusiasm was so evident he found himself unable to do anything but agree. "Pizza's great," he said, forcing a small smile.

"Pizza it is, then!" Morgana flashed her exuberant smile again, walking around the table to embrace him. "I assure you, you won't regret coming," she stared at him, holding him by the shoulders. "Hey, you don't happen to know how to handle nail polish, do you?"

"Er ..."

"Relax, I'm just having you on..." she blinked amusedly.

.M.

Morgana's apartment was on the nineteenth floor. Merlin stared at her closed door for a while, wondering what the hell he was doing there as he fixed the camera above the intercom. When he finally gathered the courage to press the doorbell, the door opened almost immediately.

"Merlin, come in, come in," Morgana invited, practically pulling him into the apartment. "I'm glad you came. I was beginning to wonder if I had frightened you with that nail polish joke."

"Oh, wow, you look beautiful," Merlin said, stunned.

Morgana smiled at the compliment, her elongated lashes fluttering. She was wearing a turquoise dress and her makeup highlighted the green of her eyes perfectly. Though she was truly wonderful, it seemed a bit too much for a 'girls night'.

"Thank you, love," Morgana said before Merlin could voice his apprehension. "You're not bad yourself. Can I offer you something to drink now, or do you want a tour first?"

"Oh," Merlin exclaimed as he looked around. The room was immense, with high ceiling and a fancy illumination which gave an interesting effect to the environment. The L-shaped sofa could comfortably accommodate about eight people, and there were still several smaller armchairs and sofas spread out, an immense TV and various ornamental arrangements. There was a wooden staircase leading upstairs, the steps were embedded on the wall on one end, and had a clear glass on the other, which made them appear to be magically suspended in the air. What really caught Merlin's attention, though, were the glass walls partially covered with heavy curtains, showing the city from the outside, the sky becoming more and more colorful as the sun began to set. "What a wonderful view you have here!"

"It really is, isn’t it?" Morgana looked pleased. "It was part of the reason I chose this place. Come on, I'll show you the porch."

She walked in front of Merlin to the glass doors, her fine heels knocking on the wooden floor. Merlin frowned as he followed her, wondering if she had just arrived from somewhere. It didn't make much sense, however, since it was only eight o'clock in the evening.

"It's a perfect sky tonight, isn't it?" Morgana commented, heading outside, where there were some peculiarly designed chairs and lounge chairs, and what looked like a fairly modern grill. "I've tried to get Arthur to buy an apartment here too, but he prefers that ancient, old-fashioned building of his, God knows why," she scoffed, standing on the railing and leaning over to admire the view. "Come to think of it, he's pretty old-fashioned, my brother. Or maybe he just didn't want to live in the same building as me," she mused, shrugging and staring at Merlin. "Well, his loss, right? Oh, but he'd love to see this every day."

Merlin felt slightly uneasy at the way she looked at him rather than the city as she spoke those last words and turned her eyes from Morgana to the London view. He kept a certain distance from the rail, however, fully aware that they were on the nineteenth floor. The noise of the traffic below seemed a little muted from that height, but it was still there.

"It's really awesome," Merlin agreed, despite her discomfort, but then he faced her hostess. "Morgana, why are you dressed like that? I thought you said we’d just watch a movie or something."

Morgana's smile faltered for a moment and she was suddenly serious, coming up to him and holding his shoulders to meet his eyes. "Alright, let's get to the point, shall we? I brought you here to talk about my brother," she confessed and Merlin gaped at her. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry I wasn't honest with you, but I suspected you wouldn't have agreed to it otherwise, and I can't just watch as the two of you walk away from each other's life like this without at least trying to make you see what's right in front of your stupid noses! Especially because I feel that I have a little bit of guilt in all that's happened–"

"Morgana," Merlin tried to interrupt her, "I'm not sure I understand–"

"Sush," Morgana demanded, tightening her grip on his arms, a determined expression on her face. "Just listen to what I have to say first. If you tell me you don’t want to talk to me ever again after that, I'll understand, but please listen to me."

Merlin swallowed, but nodded. "Go ahead," he conceded, still apprehensive.

"Right." Morgana straightened her spine with dignity, finally letting go of him. "I know you must have your reasons for breaking up with my brother and I won't pretend I'm aware of every details, but–"

"What?" Merlin asked, surprised. "Breaking up?" He giggled nervously. "What are you talking about? Arthur and I didn't–"

"Don't waste your time trying to deny it, Merlin," Morgana interrupted him. "You don't have to lie to me, I know."

"But how–" Merlin felt suddenly out of breath. "Has Arthur told you–"

Morgana snorted. "There's not much Arthur can keep from me, you know; I've known him since he was five!"

"But did he tell you? Or did you find out, somehow?"

"What difference does it make?" Morgana questioned, strangely.

"You're right." Merlin nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was beginning to suspect the whole conversation with Gwen on the phone that morning had been nothing but an act on their part; he had been trapped into this. "Go on."

"Look, Merlin." Morgana resumed. "Arthur’s completely crushed. Do you know how many times he has skipped work before? None! During his whole life! Arthur's morally incapable of missing a single day of work, even when he's sick. When his appendix burst, he bribed the nurse so she wouldn't give him morphine after the surgery just so he could keep his mind clear to keep working. I had to confiscate his fucking phone!” She rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she took a deep breath, "don't get me wrong, Merlin. I'm not trying to make you pity him, but he really isn't coping well with this separation, and I suspect he's not the only one. Am I wrong?”

Merlin opened his mouth to deny it, but he looked down on his feet, incapable to lie to her.

"That's what I thought," Morgana continued in a softer tone. "Like I said, I don't know all that's happened for you to dump him, but I just wanted to let you know that it was me who forced Arthur to go to Muirden's party."

Merlin frowned. "What do you mean, you forced him to go? Arthur said you couldn't attend–"

"Well, there may have had some threatening involved from my part to convince him to go in my place," Morgana said in a confessional tone, then bit her lower lip, sounding ashamed of herself. "And the same goes for Cooper's birthday too. I confess I didn't think I'd put him in a difficult position with you, but I should've suspected that'd be the case. I knew he'd have to bring a date to Muirden’s after all, and that it couldn't be you. I know it doesn't justify his actions, but…” She stiffened again. "I just wanted to let you know he didn't want to go, but he had no choice."

Surprised as he was with those revelations – Morgana's knowledge, Arthur's pitiful state of mind and his reluctance to attend the events – Merlin couldn't see how that could change his decision.

"Morgana, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but... It's not just about that–" Merlin broke off at hearing a sound, probably the buzzer.

"Don't worry, Leon’ll answer," Morgana said, closing the glass doors and pulling him away from it, closer to the grill. "And I know there's more to it, but I really think you should reconsider. Arthur is–"

"Oh, do you really think I should reconsider?" Merlin lost his temper, all of a sudden. "Honestly, what is wrong with you, Pendragons, to be so demanding and  _ self-centered _ like this? Has it occurred to you that it has nothing to do with Arthur, but with me? He'll get over it, just as I'm going to get over it myself, with time, but don't ask me to go back to being his dirty little secret, because I will  _ not _ subject myself to that again!"

"Merlin, don't say that!" Morgana spoke, seeming to recover quickly from the shock of his outburst. "Arthur would never–"

"He was  _ ashamed _ of me, Morgana! He didn't even want to tell his friends–"

"That's not the reason–" Morgana began to say, but stopped short as she heard the glass door open, glancing over her shoulder. Merlin turned too, freezing at Leon's sight – also stunning in tailored trousers and a button-down shirt – walking into the balcony followed by none other than Arthur.

"–should have warned me about the change of plans..." Arthur was saying, but he broke off at the sight of Merlin, his eyes widening in shock.

"What does this mean?" Merlin asked as soon as he regained his ability to speak, glaring at Morgana with a mixture of anger and betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Merlin," Morgana apologized again, running to Leon's side and holding him by the arm.

"You know I had no choice, right?" Leon spoke, turning to Arthur, who looked as betrayed as Merlin.

Arthur turned to Morgana, who faced his brother's accusing stare in defiance.

"I gave you a chance to do it your way,” she said, “but you chose not to follow my advice, so I decided to interfere."

"You had no right!" Arthur said, but Morgana dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

“All I want is for you to talk to each other! Especially you, Arthur.” She pointed a threatening finger at her brother.

Arthur averted his eyes, approaching the railing and looking out at the view.

Morgana turned to Merlin again, her expression softening. "Leon and I are going out. We’ll stay out late. Please, make yourself at home.” She turned, pulling Leon back inside the apartment. 

Leon cast one last worried look at Arthur as he followed her.

Morgana hesitated before closing the door. "Please don't hate me," she asked Merlin and then left them alone.

Merlin was tempted to march out as well, but he knew it would only postpone that confrontation. He didn't want to have to take any extreme action, much less in the mood he was at the moment, but it might be better to get it over with at once. He turned to Arthur, who still had his back to him, and took a deep breath to regain his composure. "Look, Arthur, I’m grateful that you didn't throw me out of the company after... after all that's happened, but perhaps it would be better if I resigned."

"What?" Arthur turned to face him, frowning. "Why?"

"Because it clearly won't work like this, with both of us avoiding each other the way we are.” Merlin clarified when Arthur continued to stare at him with a strange expression.

"No," Arthur shook his head slowly.

"That's what I'm saying," Merlin continued, assuming Arthur was reinforcing what he had said. "Maybe it's better if we–"

"No, Merlin." Arthur took a step toward him, baring his teeth menacingly. "You can't do this."

Merlin snapped again at that. "You can't tell me what I can or cannot do, Arthur, not any more."

Arthur blinked, averting his eyes for a moment, and when he looked back, he seemed more resigned, weary even. The dark circles under his eyes seemed more highlighted than ever, his beard making him look older. "You're right, I can't, but I can't let you do that either. I can transfer you to another division, if you want; I'm sure Alator would gladly agree to be your supervisor, but please don't ask to terminate your contract."

"And why do you care?" Merlin asked, accusingly.

"Why?" Arthur looked up to the sky as if pleading for patience before turning to face him, taking another step forward and Merlin had to contain the urge to move away. “Because you can't be blamed since I was a real dick to you; because I didn't realize you were so unhappy; because I didn't think before saying some stupid things to you; because I didn't know how to appreciate you when I had the chance; because I can't let you give up your internship on my account–"

"Who says I'm quitting on your account?" Merlin argued, though it sounded unconvincing to his own ears. "Maybe I’m just tired of it. Maybe I don't I don't want to continue anymore."

"Merlin, please listen to what I have to say," Arthur said, sounding somewhat desperate as he took another step forward. "I should’ve talked to you about bringing Daisy with me."

"Yes, you should," Merlin said, folding his arms. "But you admitting it now doesn't change the fact that you didn't ask my opinion, does it?"

"She was the perfect choice!" Arthur justified himself. "I needed an escort, and since she knew about us, I thought you'd agree–"

"Daisy knew?" Merlin was surprised, his tone a little louder than he intended.

"–but, apparently, you didn't know that either." Arthur slid his hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "Christ, of course you didn't know, I didn't tell you, did I? Just like I didn't mention my meeting with Mithian who, by the way, is engaged, but you couldn't know that either–"

"Mithian is engaged?" Merlin screeched in disbelief this time.

"Yes, yes." Arthur sounded rather impatient. "The truth is I completely wiped my meeting with her out of my mind until the end of that party, and the fact that I was smiling at that bloody picture is because I was feeling good with myself. I knew I was with someone I really liked, while she's probably only engaged for convenience – blame my ego, if you must – but you have every right to doubt it," he added, at Merlin's disbelieving expression. "Shit, I'd probably doubt that, in your place too."

Arthur shook his head to himself, running a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture, but Merlin refused to be persuaded, maintaining his stoic stance.

"As for Mordred," Arthur continued, "he's a great guy, he's a very dear friend, but... that's all! I've never flirted with him, because I don't feel any attraction for him. I actually don't feel attraction for any man other than you, Merlin, I thought I'd made that clear already!"

"No, you didn't." Merlin shook her head. "You said that you've never been with another man before. That's different. For all I know, you're just discovering your sexuality now! Aren’t you bisexual?"

"I have no idea what I am," Arthur said, holding out his arms as if in despair. "I just know I can't stop thinking about you, Merlin, I can't stop wanting you, I can't forgive myself for hurting you." He closed his eyes for a moment before turning to face him with determination. "That story about you being my lover? Fuck, I didn't even remember I ever said that! It was just a stupid fantasy, I never imagined you’d take it seriously! It never crossed my mind that I'd actually put you in this position just to keep up appearances. I would never settle for you being just my lover, Merlin! Most of the time I want to shout to the whole world that you’re mine! That you  _ were _ – Dammit!” Arthur ran his hands through his hair, looking away. "I shouldn't have kept you hidden you from my friends for so long, I mean, they're your friends too, are they not? Fuck, they probably like you better than they like me."

Merlin opened his mouth to deny it, but fell silent at the sight of Arthur's eyes brighter than usual.

"Merlin, I love you," Arthur said, and Merlin gasped, as if he'd been slapped. "I know I screwed up, I know you don't owe me anything, but please, please give me another chance. I promise I'll tell everyone; I'm gonna put it on Facebook; I'm gonna hold a meeting with all the staff and say we're dating, and whoever has a fucking problem with it might as well screwed themselves; I'm gonna stop by Starbucks to tell your friend–"

Merlin stepped forward and pressed his lips to Arthur's, efficiently shutting him up. After a brief second of hesitation, Arthur let out a groan and circled his waist with his arms, bringing him closer and Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders.

God, how he'd missed all this, the strength of Arthur's arms, his taste, his scent, his firm body, the way they seemed to fit together, despite all their differences... Merlin moaned, so pleased it hurt.

"Is that a yes?" Arthur whispered against his lips.

"I don't know," Merlin admitted, but pulled him into another kiss, this time with his hands and arms and their entire bodies. Merlin slipped his hands through Arthur's hair, slid them down the muscles on his back, then tilted his head to the side to feel Arthur's lips and beard on his neck, on his chin, below his ear...

"Please, Merlin..." Arthur murmured, between kisses and licks and bites. "Please..."

Merlin only realized he had moved when Arthur's back hit the railing. Merlin pressed his whole body into Arthur's then, feeling his arousal, not even remembering they were on the nineteenth floor.

"Fuck," Arthur gasped, gripping Merlin's chin as he wiped a tear from Merlin’s eye with his thumb. He licked the tip of his finger, then kissed the other side of his face and only then he attacked his lips again. Arthur's hands found the back of Merlin's neck and he grunted. "Your hair..." Arthur lamented.

"Yeah," Merlin sniffed, suddenly regretful. "I was angry."

"It's okay," Arthur assured him, pulling back to face him intently. "I like you anyway. God, how I've missed you." He kissed Merlin again, holding him by the waist, pushing him away from the rail, and Merlin let himself be guided to one of the loungers. Arthur slid his hands down to grip Merlin's buttocks, pressing their hips together. "Say you want it too," he half pleaded, half demanded.

"I do," Merlin admitted, and Arthur grunted, pushing him until Merlin lay in the chair, legs stretched out, then sat on his thighs, straddling Merlin's hips.

Arthur leaned over him then, kissing him as his hands sneaked under Merlin's T-shirt, sliding up until he found his nipples, then bent down to lick one of them, stroking the other with his thumb. Merlin arched his back against Arthur's mouth, panting, holding the back of his neck to hold him in place.

Arthur explored Merlin's chest with his hands as he sucked and licked at his nipples, teased the hairs beneath Merlin's navel, and Merlin regretted not having used the shaver Arthur had given him to trim them. Arthur unbuttoned his jeans unhurriedly,unzipped it, then rested his bodyweight on his feet again as he stood up to lower Merlin's pants and his underwear just enough to release his erection.

"You're so gorgeous, Merlin," Arthur whispered, leaning over him to thrust his cheek into Merlin's groin, breathing in deeply as he held his shaft. "I missed your smell so much."

Panting, Merlin spread his legs as far as his pants allowed, giving Arthur space to rest his knee in the gap between them. Arthur wrapped his lips around the tip of his cock then, and explored it with his tongue. Merlin didn't blink, fearing to lose something as Arthur touched him with veneration, his eyes wandering over Merlin's body and face as a caress while he worked to make him feel completely overwhelmed with pleasure, slowly enfolding him in the wet heat of his mouth, one hand still held at the base while the other caressed his testicles carefully and steadily. He still couldn't believe how Arthur might want to do that, much less after hearing him admit that he wasn't attracted to any other man, but he wasn't tempted to complain either, let alone when Arthur seemed quite intent on convincing Merlin to give him a second chance.

Merlin gripped the edges of the lounger tightly and let his head fall back, cursing as Arthur tongued the slit of his cock before bobbing his head down again, drawing him ever deeper, his teeth scratching gently, his hand still holding it firm in place.

"Arthur," Merlin gasped, biting his lower lip to suppress a moan. "Arthur," he called again with reverence and Arthur answered his call, moving up to kiss him as he continued to stimulate him with his large, slightly callused hand. "I want to touch you," Merlin said between a swirl of their tongues and another, thrusting his hands beneath his shirt, along the sides of Arthur's body, feeling his muscles contract under his touch.

Arthur sat in the vacant space between Merlin's legs, hip to hip, and began unbuttoning his own pants with his free hand, but Merlin impatiently took that task in hand. He slipped his hand into Arthur's pants, sighing as he found him fully erect, marveling at the length, the girth, the softness of the skin at the tip, and the irregularity of the veins jutting out along the base. He felt as if he were discovering him again in all his glory, after thinking he would never have Arthur to himself again. He wanted to stretch his mouth around his cock, wanted to feel the burning of his muscles as he settled it inside him, but he contented himself with moving his hand firmly for the time being, returning the attention Arthur was dispensing to his own cock.

Merlin came first, letting out a moan muffled by Arthur's lips.

Arthur continued to stimulate him until the last drop. "Oh, Merlin," Arthur murmured, wrapping Merlin's hand with his own to dictate the rhythm and throwing his head back in delight as he reached his own climax, cursing and gasping.

Arthur removed his own T-shirt and wiped himself and Merlin with it. "I'm sure Leon won't mind lending me a T-shirt," Arthur said before Merlin's questioning look.

"Come here," Merlin said after adjusting his own clothes, opening a small space in the chair beside him. The space wasn't enough to accommodate Arthur, but somehow they managed to fit in together, Merlin flinging his legs over Arthur's hip as they stared at each other, their breaths uneven.

With the pad of his finger, Merlin traced a line from Arthur's jaw to his chin and then to his soft pink lips, feeling the thick stubble catch. Arthur took his hand and kissed it before letting it go again, thrusting his own hand under Merlin's T-shirt, never breaking eye contact.

"What you said before..." Merlin trailed off, biting his lower lip.

"What exactly?" Arthur asked, caressing his stomach lazily. "I said a lot of things."

"About... how you feel." Merlin tried to be more specific. "You said... Erm..."

"I said I love you, you idiot," Arthur interrupted, a small smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Hm, I can't say I remember you mentioning that idiot part before." Merlin smiled, looking away, suddenly sheepish.

"Are you sure?" Arthur joked. "Well, it was implied, anyway."

Merlin was suddenly serious. "I'm sorry I doubted you. I made some hasty accusations, I assumed–"

"Forget it, Merlin," Arthur interrupted. "What's in the past is in the past."

"You don't have to tell everyone, Arthur," Merlin said, clutching Arthur's biceps tightly.

"I won't make the same mistake again, Merlin."

"But things are different now, aren't they?" Merlin insisted. "Now I know I can talk to you when I feel insecure."

"Does that mean you're going to give me another chance?" Arthur sounded hopeful.

Merlin bit his lower lip, but he nodded, and Arthur let the air out of his lungs, looking relieved, thrusting his face into Merlin's neck for a moment, breathing in his scent before he straightened up again with a determined expression on his face.

"But I want to tell everyone." Arthur frowned. "I don't want to keep you a secret anymore."

"I know, but..." Merlin tried to sit down, but Arthur held his legs in place. "You don't have to do it all at once. You can start by telling our friends."

"And my father," Arthur finished, a resolute expression on his face.

"It doesn't have to be so soon," Merlin insisted. "Arthur, I really don't want to force your outing like this–"

"I said I want to. You're not forcing me to do anything."

"Alright," Merlin gave in, changing tactics. "Just promise me you won't tell him in a haste. Promise you'll wait for the right moment."

"I promise." Arthur trailed the tip of his nose down Merlin's neck. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Merlin moved away from Arthur's mouth to finish his line of thought with a clear head. "How long has Morgana known?"

"Since that night, at my house." Arthur sighed, leaning his head on the chair and making circles with his hand on Merlin's thigh. "She said she had been suspicious for some time, but she knew for sure that night."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Merlin was indignant.

"Because she made it clear that she preferred to pretend she didn't know, what with her being Internal Processes’ Director and everything, or else she'd have to do something about it."

Merlin looked down on Arthur's bare chest, fiddling with the short hair there. "Maybe it’d be best if you sent me to Development Division," Merlin said, avoiding looking him in the eye, but he felt Arthur sighing. "If you really want to tell everyone, maybe it's best if you aren’t my supervisor anymore."

"Or I can just name Leon as your supervisor," Arthur suggested. "But only if you want to stay in CRM Division, of course."

"I do want it..."

"But?"

"But I don't think that's a good idea."

Arthur's eyes fixed on Merlin's mouth for a moment as he ran his thumb over his lower lip. "You're probably right," Arthur admitted. "I'll talk to Alator tomorrow morning. What else?"

"I guess that's all," Merlin said after a brief pondering and then he moaned, faceplanting. "Oh bollocks, your notebook!"

"You mean  _ your _ notebook?" Arthur arched an eyebrow.

"I mean  _ Will's _ notebook," Merlin said, embarrassed. "You said you didn't want it back, so I gave it to Will. I'm so sorry..." he watched while Arthur's expression turned somber. "I'd ask it back, but I don't think he'll give it to me. Damn, he probably already had it infested with viruses, anyway."

"I'll buy you another one," Arthur said, and put his finger over Merlin's lips to silence it when he prepared to refuse. "And I don't take no for an answer. You owe it to me, after you so rudely got rid of my gift." Despite the playful tone, Merlin could tell Arthur was upset by the tension on his jaw.

"Sounds fair." Merlin let out a resigned sigh, then moaned again. "I deleted all my photos of you. All of them! Even the ones on my phone!"

"You really didn't expect us to get back together, did you?" Arthur sounded seriously offended this time

Merlin whined regretfully. "I didn't think you’d want me back," he admitted, looking down. "I thought you'd be relieved to get rid of me. I thought you might already be dating other people–"

"I wouldn't!" Arthur sounded affronted, grabbing his face and staring into his eyes. "Were  _ you _ dating other people?"

"Let me think." Merlin pretended to count on his fingers. "There was the pizza delivery guy, the cable guy, my personal trainer..." he mocked.

Arthur prodded himself up on his elbow, his expression grave. "Merlin, I'm serious. I know you don't owe me any explanation from the moment you broke up with me, but I really need to know."

For the first time Merlin thought he could see Arthur's real vulnerability behind all his possessive and jealous attitude. Merlin had never suspected Arthur might be insecure – what with him being the most beautiful and cocksure man Merlin had ever known – but he was beginning to suspect that it was nothing but a facade.

"There was no one, Arthur, I swear." Merlin said and watched as Arthur exhaled, closing his eyes and lowering his head until he rested it on Merlin's chest.

"Thank God," Arthur muttered.

Merlin stared at his hair for a moment, incredulous, before thrusting his fingers through the silky strands, allowing himself a small smile. 

"I have some pictures on my phone,” Arthur said. “I can send them to you if you want."

"It's alright, I have a backup somewhere."

"Oh, have you?" Arthur said, nipping at Merlin's nipple and laughing as he startled. "You forgot to mention this before, did you?"

"Sort of," Merlin bit his bottom lip to disguise a silly smile. Then he realized that the sky had become dark and the only source of illumination now came from the lights on in the living room. "Hey, we missed the sunset," Merlin lamented as he looked up on the stars beginning to shine on the evening sky.

"We were pretty busy." Arthur's voice sounded muffled in his chest.

"Yeah, I guess we were..."

"Oh, one more thing," Arthur said, raising his head and holding out his hand. "Give me your phone."

Merlin lifted his hip a little to reach the phone in his jeans pocket and unlocked it, handing it to Arthur.

"Here." Arthur returned the device to Merlin after a moment and took his own phone out of his pocket, distracting himself for a moment.

Merlin stared at the screen of his phone, where the Facebook app was open, showing his new status: 'In a serious relationship.'

"Done," Arthur said, and Merlin received a notification that Arthur had done the same.

Merlin smiled and pulled Arthur into a long, passionate kiss.

.M.

They stayed in Morgana's apartment for some time yet. Even though Arthur kept saying he should take Merlin to his sister's room and fuck him on her bed, they didn't make it to the upstairs rooms. Arthur spent most of the time dirty talking into Merlin's ear, promising to do unspeakable things to him, but they did nothing more than use their hands and their mouths. Merlin was grateful for this; as much as he was eager to have sex with Arthur, he didn't want to do that in Morgana's apartment. Besides, he wasn't expecting it when he left his house and wasn't prepared for that outcome.

Arthur poured them drinks, ordered pizza and rented some gay porn movies that they didn't get to watch – they were too busy with each other to pay close attention to the TV – as a little revenge on his sister and his best friend. They also found Morgana's stock of chocolates, and Arthur made a point of leaving the box empty – after he managed to persuade Merlin to share it with him, of course – along with the pack of pizza on one of the coffee table.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when they heard the sound of the lock. Arthur lifted his head from Merlin's chest, but made no mention of getting up or removing his hand from inside Merlin's T-shirt. They were stretched out on the couch fully clothed, except for Arthur's bare feet and chest, watching some stupid comedy, Merlin with his back resting on one corner of the couch, legs stretched out and Arthur leaning against him, his weight comforting.

"–take a look, just to make sure." Leon appeared first, an alert expression on his face as he assessed the situation.

"Why, don't be daft," they heard Morgana's voice before Leon was pushed aside. "It's not like I've never seen my brother naked before."

"Yes, but I was five at the time," Arthur said, straightening up on the couch with a sigh. "I've grown a little since then, even though you still treat me like a child."

Leon had closed the door and removed his jacket. Morgana had her eyes fixed on Merlin, an apprehensive expression on her face, and Merlin held her gaze as he sat down. He nodded reassuringly at her.

Morgana seemed relieved, but recovered her air of superiority as she faced his brother. "Well, you're still as stubborn as you were back then," Morgana said, approaching them and looking around. "So I see you got yourselves quite comfortable while we were gone."

"I thought that was what you wanted, leaving us alone in your apartment." Arthur said as he reached for his own shoes, bringing Merlin's sneakers at his reach. "By the way, Leon, can you lend me a T-shirt? Mine got a little bit messy when we…  _ caham _ … talked things through."

"Oh, gross," Leon scrunched his nose and Merlin could have sworn he'd seen Leon flush as he headed for the stairs, leaving the three of them alone.

"Did you get to see the sunset?" Morgana turned to Merlin, who had just put on his sneakers and got up, thrusting his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

"Ah, well..." Merlin ran a hand through his hair and Morgana smiled, naughty.

"It's really magical, isn't it?" She stepped forward, pulling him by the arm. "Hey, what do you think about that tequila now?"

Merlin opened his mouth to decline, but Arthur stepped forward, running a hand around Merlin's shoulders to keep him in place.

"We're leaving now," Arthur said. "Besides, I took the liberty of preparing a few drinks for Merlin earlier. I suppose you don't mind that I used some of your lemons."

"Not at all," Morgana answered in the same formal tone as her brother, reluctantly letting go of Merlin's arm. "I told you to make yourselves at home."

They turned as they heard Leon coming down the steps.

"Here." Leon tossed a red-striped white T-shirt over to Arthur, who put it on right away.

Morgana took the opportunity to pull Merlin into the kitchen and away from Arthur. "Merlin, I'm really sorry about deceiving you," she looked concerned, staring into his eyes.

"Morgana–" Merlin began, but she squeezed his forearms harder, her nails threatening to leave marks.

"I know you're sweet and you probably won't hold it against me, even though I deserve it, but I shouldn't have played you like this. And, please, don't blame Gwen, she was totally in the dark about my intentions. "

"It's alright, Morgana," Merlin assured her, returning the grip on her arms with the same intensity. "I know your intentions were the best. Besides, it's not like it didn't work out, in the end."

"Jesus, I don't deserve you as a brother-in-law," she said, throwing her arms around Merlin, who returned the hug as soon as he recovered from the surprise. "I doubt anyone deserves you, really, but I'm glad you gave my stupid little brother another chance. By the way, your fly’s open, love,” she confided in his ear, though she hadn't bothered to keep her voice down.

"Oh, shit." Merlin turned his back to Morgana as he zipped up his jeans. When he turned around again, she had already stepped beside Leon, who was pulling her closer to him, grinning and stroking her shoulder affectionately. Morgana blinked, offering Merlin a knowing smile as she wrapped an arm around her boyfriend.

Arthur approached Merlin. "Let's go, then?" Leon's T-shirt looked strange on him, but Merlin felt his cheeks flush with satisfaction at his attentive gaze, nodding.

They bid their farewells in the elevator hall, and soon Merlin was sitting in the seat of the Maserati with a happy sigh, smoothing the leather coating affectionately.

"What?" Merlin asked as he saw Arthur staring at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Do you want me to get out so you and my car can get some privacy?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, pretending not to be satisfied with the exaggerated jealousy act. "I thought I'd never sit here again!" Merlin justified himself, shifting in his seat. "Oh, man, I forgot how comfortable this seat is..."

"Merlin." Arthur narrowed his eyes dangerously and Merlin flashed him a naughty smile. "You're doing it on purpose! God, I don't believe it!"

Merlin laughed, holding Arthur's hand and squeezing it. Arthur entwined their fingers and didn't let go even as he turned on the radio, sighing at Adele's Send My Love (To Your New Lover).

"Fuck, I missed this," he said, and Merlin stared at him in confusion.

"What? Adele?"

"Music!" Arthur exclaimed, smiling as he stared at him. "I couldn't hear anything without thinking of you."

"Well, and I couldn't hear  _ this song _ after we broke up. But don't worry, we just made up, Adele and I." Merlin turned the radio up. " _ Send my love to your new lover, treat her better. We've gotta let go of all our ghosts, we both know we're not kids no more– _ "

"My new lover, Merlin? Really?" Arthur sounded hurt and Merlin stroked the back of his hand with his thumb in an apology.

When they arrived in front of Merlin's building, he reluctantly turned down the volume of Calvin Harris feat. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For.

"We're gonna have to dance to this, one of these days," Arthur said, seemingly realizing his reluctance.

"Hmm, I think I'll hold you to it," Merlin promised, taking off his seat belt and snogging his boyfriend.

"Oh, make sure you cancel all your appointments for this weekend," Arthur said, stopping Merlin from moving away. "And I'm talking about the whole weekend, starting tomorrow after work."

"I'll see what I can do." Merlin nodded. "Do you want to come in?"

"No, it's late." Arthur refused, a wrinkle forming on his forehead. "Besides, I'm not sure if your mother would be happy to see me, after all that's happened."

"She's been inconsolable since Sunday! It looked like  _ she _ was the one who broke up with you, not me," Merlin joked, but Arthur didn't sound too convinced. "I'm serious. She'll be happy to see you."

Arthur sighed and looked at himself.

"Maybe some other day, I'm not very presentable at the moment, and I suspect I'm in serious need of a shower."

Merlin sniffed him, then pulled a face. Arthur was smelling of sweat, dry semen and wardrobe. Not that Leon's T-shirt was stinky, but the scent seemed simply wrong on Arthur.

"Don't you dare say... whatever you're about to say," Arthur warned and Merlin smiled.

"I was just going to say that–"

"No!"

"But–"

"No, Merlin!"

Merlin laughed and kissed him one last time. "See you tomorrow," Merlin said and got out of the car before Arthur could grab him again.

As soon as he entered home, Merlin called for his mother. He must have sounded a little agitated, for Hunith's eyes were wide with apprehension as she left the room in her robe.

"What's going on? Has anything happened?" She asked and Merlin hugged her before answering.

"We're back, Arthur and I. We're back together."

"Thank God!" Hunith exhaled, returning the embrace before moving back to face him with a furrowed brow. "What took you so long? Do you know how much it cost me to stay out of it? I was this close to dragging Arthur here by the ear and lock the two of you in a room until you worked it out!" 

"God, Mother, did you happen to talk to Morgana recently?"

"What? Why?" Hunith sounded confused.

"Because she basically did exactly that to us."

"Great." Hunith nodded, pleased. "I get the impression that we're going to get along so well, Morgana and I," she said, and then her expression broke into a smile as she smoothed his son's face affectionately. "I'm happy for you, sweetheart."

"I know, mom." Merlin allowed himself to be hugged again, closing his eyes and sighing. "Thank you."

.M.

' _ I miss you, baby _ .'

' _ It’s been only about five minutes you dropped me home, Arthur _ .'

' _ I know _ .'

' _ I miss you too. And by the way _ ...'

Arthur stared at the phone screen as he anxiously awaited for the next line.

' _ I think I love you too _ .'

Arthur held his breath for a moment, reading and rereading that text countless times before releasing his breath, letting his head fall against the back of the car seat. He felt the relief fill every cell of his body.

He hadn't realized how apprehensive he had been until then. He was so grateful to have gotten a second chance with Merlin that he hadn't even allowed himself to hope for an answer to his love confession, but now he felt as if he was ready to burst with happiness.

With a satisfied smile, Arthur got out of the car and put the phone back in his pocket, getting started on planning the weekend as he climbed the elevator to his apartment.

.Merlin.


	25. Part 3 - Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 

Arthur noticed the stares as he entered his office. The telephone operator's eyes widened at the sight of him, and she looked even more shocked when Arthur greeted her; she stuttered, blushing and averting her eyes, as if caught in a compromising situation. Arthur frowned, but walked right past her, greeting people as they passed by and watching as they gape at him in return. Even Gwen seemed too stunned to say anything in reply to his "good morning."

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed someone coming toward him and looked up to see Sophia Feix approaching with a determined expression. She started to say something, but Gwaine chose that precise moment to stand up, blocking her way. "Princess, how nice of you to–"

"Ouch!" Sophia said after bumping against Gwaine's back. "You idiot, why don't you look where you're–"

"Feix! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" Gwaine put a hand to his chest in a feigned surprised reaction. Arthur rolled his eyes, turning his back on the two of them and heading for his office.

Arthur had barely settled on his chair when Gwaine burst into his office with a smug smile on his face, tossing his hair back. Arthur resigned himself to his upcoming fate as he turned on the computer.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the newest talk of the town!" Gwaine said, flopping down on the chair in front of him.

Arthur sighed. "Gwaine, I really don't have time to–" Arthur started, but Gwaine kept talking, as if he weren't interrupted.

"I confess I was surprised that there was no headline in the paper about it. ‘London's most coveted bachelor is officially out of the market.’"

Arthur raised his eyebrow dismissively, looking down at the computer screen as he logged in to his workstation. Well, that explained Ms. Wust’s odd behavior – and everybody else, since most of them were his mutuals on Facebook.

In fact, it was costing him much effort to appear mildly moody that morning, aware that people were expecting it from him. Arthur couldn't just show up to work smiling left and right, could he? Even if he had received a message from Merlin at six fifty-five in the morning, wishing him a good run. Even if he had listened to Merlin's playlist while exercising. Even if he'd sighed satisfied as he masturbated in the shower, imagining Merlin kneeling between his legs.

"Or maybe not 'officially', since some girls don't seem to be intimidated by a wedding ring, let alone by a 'In a Serious Relationship' status" Gwaine continued with his monologue. "By the way, you don't have to thank me for saving you from Feix just now."

"Hm," Arthur murmured, choosing to ignore Gwaine until he was bored enough to leave him alone.

Which would probably take some time.

"I'm still not sure if shaving was a good idea, to tell you the truth,” Gwaine went on. “Personally, I liked that laid-back look more, but maybe Merlin prefers it smooth. It has its perks, I suppose. No need to worry about the marks on his neck if you take a break at lunch, for example."

"Where's Leon?" Arthur asked, still avoiding staring at his friend.

"But if you really hoped to be discreet, you shouldn't have changed both your status on Facebook at the same time. I mean, most of the people here follow you both, you know? And after all this shit of you two not talking to each other during the previous week, now you suddenly appear all tidy and good-humored, greeting everyone... Soon Merlin’ll show up with a dazzling open smile, you two’ll shamelessly ogle each other and–"

"Gwaine." Arthur looked up at him, resting his elbows on the table and joining the tips of his fingers.

Gwaine blinked innocently. "Yes, Princess?"

"We weren't trying to be discreet."

"Oh!" Gwaine nodded, his hair swinging as he did. "In that case, you did a really great job! Gwen is quite intrigued, though she's too polite to make any indiscreet comment; Elyan, on the other hand, doesn't mind being indiscreet at all, as it happens. Of course I told him that, if I knew for sure that you two were shagging, I’d’ve collected my pool money ages ago."

"Don't worry, Gwaine, you'll be able to cash it by the end of the day."

"Yessss!" Gwaine jumped up, throwing his fist in the air.

Arthur had to try really hard not to smile, turning his eyes to the computer again. "Now piss off."

"Right away, Princess!" Gwaine bowed. "By the way, Leon’s left to do some street work already, but he asked me to tell you he doesn't mind lending you clean clothes as long as you don't forget the dirty ones in his living room. Any idea what he meant by that?"

Arthur shook his head. "None whatsoever."

"That's what I thought." Gwaine grinned, thumbs up in approval, and this time Arthur couldn't contain his smile. "I'm heading out too, but I'll be in touch." He winked and left, tossing his hair back.

.M.

Merlin greeted everyone he passed and headed straight into Arthur's office, knocking on the glass as he entered. Arthur looked up from his computer and smiled, relaxing in his chair.

"I brought you something," Merlin said, stepping forward to put the Starbucks’ package on Arthur's desk.

"Hey, you didn't have to," Arthur said, already reaching into the bag to get his tea out despite his words.

Merlin shrugged. "I know I didn't have to, but it's been a long time since I've been there. By the way, Mary said hello.”

"Really?" Arthur arched an eyebrow, turning his tea cup so that Merlin saw the 'Hello, Arthur, Merlin's boyfriend!' That Mary had written at the bottom.

Merlin grinned.

Arthur took a sip of his tea, keeping his eyes on Merlin before placing it on the table. "Hmm... This is great," he said, "but don't think I'm going to go easy on you today just for that."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you messed up your whole cabinet again."

"I didn't mess up anything," Arthur defended himself, frowning. "It turns out I haven't had much time to sort out my stuff."

"You wouldn't have to sort it out if you hadn't messed it up in the first place... Oh, whatever." Merlin sighed. "Do you want me to get started now?"

"Well, since you're so eager to be of help," Arthur said in a mocking tone, but Merlin chose to ignore him. "I need you to set up the meeting room and put the equipment in my car later. You didn't bring lunch, did you?" He asked, to which Merlin shook his head no. "Okay, so we’ll be heading for the restaurant straight from the client afterwards. About your question now, yes, you can get started on it right away."

"God, I don't know why I'm so surprised, but somehow you managed to overcome your own record here," Merlin said as he opened the cabinet. "If I didn't know your house, I’d think you live in a shithole, although Johanna probably has more credit when it comes to the tidiness of your home than you."

"Hey, she only cleans three times a week," Arthur said indignantly. "The rest of the time, it's me who keeps things in order around there, and you know that very well. The only dirty underwear that Johanna had to collect through the house were yours. I had never–"

"It was you who kicked my clothes under the kitchen cabinet!" It was Merlin's turn to be indignant. When he turned to Arthur, he noticed several faces staring at him on the other side of the glass, some peering discreetly; others stretching their necks over their stalls so that they could have a better view; others whispering to each other. "Oh. My. God."

"What is it?" Arthur followed his gaze, but most people had already gone back to work the moment Merlin had caught them peeking at them.

"They were staring," Merlin whispered, even though he knew no one could hear them with the door closed. "All of them."

"So what?" Arthur stared at him with an arched eyebrow. "They probably missed our bickering around. Jesus, I certainly missed it."

Merlin couldn't help but smile, but he turned back to the closet quickly to hide it. "I certainly didn't miss _this_." He pointed to the mess of files and office supplies.

Arthur's phone rang and Merlin worked quietly for a moment while Arthur talked to a client.

"Have you talked to Alator?" Merlin asked when Arthur hung up, keeping his back to him.

"Not yet." Arthur sighed. "I'll call him by the end of the day, but I've already told Morgana that I'm taking care of it."

"How are things between the three of you? You, Morgana and Leon, I mean."

"Oh, we're fine." Arthur sounded unconcerned. "We've had far worse falling outs."

"They haven't found out about the porn movies yet, have they?"

"Not yet." Arthur sounded pleased.

Merlin shook his head, smiling to himself.

Arthur's chair creaked as he spun around. "Hey, you didn't bring your backpack." He seemed to have just realized that. "I thought we agreed that you’d be spending the weekend with me!"

"Ah, well." Merlin glanced over his shoulder as he balanced some folders on a stack to bring them back to the store room. "About that. I had promised my mom I was going to set up a shelf for her this weekend and she said you're going to have to stop by to pick me up if you want her to release me from my promise." Merlin looked away, biting his lower lip.

"Oh." Arthur sounded surprised. "Well... Sounds fair to me."

Merlin breathed in relief. For a moment he thought Arthur might want to avoid his mother for some reason.

"We’ll stop by your house after work, then," Arthur continued. "We’ll go straight to the pub afterwards. Oh, by the way, if anyone asks, tell them you're taking your boyfriend tonight."

Merlin almost dropped the pile of files, but he held it together in time. "What?" He turned to Arthur, not sure he had heard correctly.

Arthur shrugged. "Gwaine said they're already suspicious, anyway."

"Oh. All right, then." Merlin tried to sound nonchalant, but he smiled as he turned back to the cabinet.

As he walked past his own desk before heading down to the fifth floor, Merlin caught Gwen's knowing smile. "What is it?" he asked, confused.

"What?" Gwen frowned innocently as Merlin narrowed his eyes at his friend. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Merlin said suspiciously.

"Everyone looks happy." Gwen continued.

"It must be because it's Friday," Merlin suggested.

"Hey, Merlin!" Merlin jumped at Elyan’s shout. Elyan spread his hands on Merlin's desk and bent forward, his eyes peering at him intently. "Is there anything you wish to tell us?"

"Elyan!" Gwen scolded.

Merlin's eyes widened. "Erm... no?" He said uncertainly. "Oh, well, actually, I do have something to tell you guys,” he reconsidered and watched as Elyan’s eyes shone with anticipation. “It's my last day of college break, so from Monday on I'll go back to working part-time."

Elyan snorted and straightened his spine. "Seriously?" He folded his arms. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Elyan..." Gwen warned.

Elyan threw his hands up. "He put it on Facebook!" He argued with his sister. "If he didn't want anyone to ask, he should have kept it to myself."

"And if he did want everyone to know, he’d have tagged whoever it is," Gwen returned.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Merlin waved, calling his friends’ attention. "If you're talking about my boyfriend, I can introduce him to you tonight."

"What?" Elyan squealed and Gwen's eyes widened.

"You’ll be at the pub today, right?" Merlin asked.

Elyan nodded vigorously. "Of course we'll be there! We wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Merlin!" The three of them turned at hearing Arthur's call. "Have you finished everything I asked of you yet? Because if you're done, I have another list waiting."

"On my way!" Merlin said, standing up and waving to his friends as he walked away. "We'll talk later!"

.M.

Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He did everything he could to keep Merlin from suspecting it, but his palms were sweating as he climbed the stairs of Merlin's building that evening.

"My backpack’s ready," Merlin was saying beside him. "It’ll be just a minute, I promise. Maybe two. Actually, since I'm here, I could use a shower, but I promise I won't be long. Honestly, I don't know why my mother did this. It's not like she can stop me from spending the weekend away from home, is it? I could have very well disappeared without giving her any notice, but I wanted to do the right thing and now look at what she made us agree to."

"You remembered to pack swimming trunks, right?" Arthur asked as they reached the hall of the apartment.

"Arthur, I don't have swimming trunks!" Merlin grunted, fishing the key from his pocket and fitting it into the lock. "Why would I need them? I can wear one of your shorts, just like the other day." He opened the door and gestured for Arthur to come in, but almost knocked Will on the nose in the process.

"Hey!" Will complied, leaning back in time. "Watch out!"

"Will! What are you doing here?" Merlin exclaimed.

Arthur grunted. Great. Facing Will now was just what he needed.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I showed up without warning," Will said sarcastically, averting his gaze from Merlin to face Arthur with visible contempt. "Maybe if I had called, I wouldn't have to hear from your mother that you got back with this one."

"Will..." Merlin pressed the bridge over his nose, but Will continued, unshaken.

"I mean, it's okay for me to have to get your pieces together after he betrayed you–"

"Hey!" Arthur couldn't hold back the outraged cry, taking a step forward while Merlin screeched an indignant "He didn't betray me, Will, for God’s sake!" but Will was far from intimidated.

"–but you didn't even bother to let me know you're together again!"

"Will, why don't you check your messages?" Merlin spoke, moving past his friend and glancing at Arthur over his shoulder as walked down the hallway. "I'll be back in a moment!"

Arthur thought he heard Hunith's voice inside, but Will's following shout made it impossible to tell what she was saying. "Hey, don't turn your back on me, you traitor! This conversation is not over yet!" Will turned to Arthur then, eyes narrowing. "And as for you… I didn't get a chance to say this before, but I'm warning you now. If you hurt him again, you won't live to regret it."

Arthur was about to say he would never hurt Merlin, but then he thought better of it. He puffed then. "Alright, I deserved it," he admitted reluctantly.

"Of course you fucking deserved it," Will agreed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "You can be assured that I'm watching you," he warned and looked down at his phone, turning his back on Arthur as he headed inside. "What, so you sent me a message at 1:30 pm and want to call it even, Merlin? Of course I didn't see it, I was working!"

"Come in, Arthur!" He heard Hunith's voice and took a deep breath before entering, closing the door behind him. "Come, join me in the kitchen!" She called again and Arthur followed the sound of her voice. He found Hunith by the stove, pouring something into a frying pan, with an apron over her supermarket uniform and a plate cloth over her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at spotting him. "There you are, I'm finishing up here. Have a seat." She nodded to the kitchen table, and Arthur sat down by it.

"It smells good," he commented, discreetly drying his sweaty hands on his jeans. He could hear Will and Merlin arguing in the adjoining rooms, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"I'm fixing us some pancakes." Hunith sounded pleased. "Merlin's always starving after work."

"You told me," Arthur said and then averted his eyes when she faced him with a fond smile.

"Don't mind what Will said," Hunith offered, checking the pancake with the spatula before turning it over with a deft jolt of the frying pan. "He acts like Merlin's older brother, even though they are only two months apart, and he's not used to having to share Merlin with anyone; it has always been just the two of them, since they were kids.”

"I understand," Arthur admitted, facing his own hands, feeling ashamed of himself for being jealous. "I'm glad he's got someone like Will to watch his back."

They heard a door open and the arguing voices grew louder.

"– _such an inconsiderate dickhead!_ "

" _Will, give me a break_."

" _And don't think I'll give you the Macbook back!_ "

" _You can shove it wherever you want, Will, now leave me alone!_ "

" _When were you going to tell me you were planning to spend the whole weekend away with– Hey, don't you dare–"_

They heard a door slam and Will swore, pounding and threatening to knock it down.

"Will, I’d appreciate it if you didn't do any permanent damage to my door!" Hunith shouted over her shoulder.

" _I'm sorry, Aunt Hunith!_ " Will shouted back and finally went quiet.

Arthur watched as Hunith looked around, searching for something.

"Can I be of help?" Arthur offered on impulse.

"Oh, well..." she looked around. "Can you get one more plate down here at the second cabinet door, please?"

Arthur did that and then offered to set the pancakes together while she finished frying them.

"Merlin said you’re taking him to Newbury this weekend," Hunith commented after instructing him on how to add the syrup and set the piles of pancakes.

"Did he?" Arthur was surprised, concentrating on his task. He hadn't mentioned his plans for Merlin, but he supposed Merlin would drawn that conclusion after Arthur had asked him to bring his swimming trunks. "Actually, I intend to take him to the beach."

"Oh really?" Hunith exclaimed in surprise.

"My father has an apartment in Bournemouth that he usually rents out in the season, but the person who had booked for this weekend canceled it, so I thought I'd take him there. If that's okay with you, of course," he added, sending a worried look at Hunith's way.

"Oh, of course I'm fine with it!" Hunith assured, but then frowned as she poured another portion of dough into the frying pan. "Although I would be grateful if you kept an eye on him in the water. I mean, he can swim, but he isn’t used to the sea."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

"I know you will." Hunith smiled at him again.

Arthur turned to admire his own work. The piles of pancakes were messy, but he was proud of his work; at least he had managed not to ruin it completely. "I think we have enough," Arthur said, and Hunith turned off the fire.

She proceeded to decorate the dishes with strawberries then and placed them on the table just as the bathroom door opened and Will began to whine all over again.

"Boys, come eat!" Hunith called, then gestured for Arthur to sit down. "I assume this to be Merlin's," she sounded amused as she pointed to the larger pile, with a generous portion of syrup dripping onto the plate.

Merlin and Will showed up in the kitchen before Arthur could answer and he thanked God for small mercies, feeling his face heat up at being caught.

"Hmmm, this is delicious," Will murmured around a mouthful of pancakes and Arthur had to agree with him for the first time in his life.

Hunith and Arthur continued to chat about this and that while the other two devoured their pancakes in silence, Will sending betrayed glances at his friend, who was persistently ignoring him. As soon as they were finished, Hunith declined Arthur's help with the dishes and shooed them out, urging them to have fun.

Hunith hugged Merlin and a pouting Will, who left quickly after that, a hurt expression on his face. She then glared at her son, who whined and kicked, but followed after his friend with the clear intention of making amends. Arthur was left alone with Hunith again, but realized that he wasn't as nervous as before.

"Come here, my dear," she said, and for the second time Arthur found himself in the arms of that admirable woman. "I'm sincerely glad you two have worked things out."

"Thanks, Hunith." Arthur returned the hug, thoroughly relieved. "You have no idea how much your support means to me."

She pulled back to face him with bright, sincere eyes, but there was a determination in them that didn't seem to be there before. "I know you care about him, Arthur, but I also know that this is probably not going to be the last time you guys have a fall out of sorts. Merlin is very young and has no previous experience with relationships. Next time, I hope you behave like the adult out of the two of you."

"Ah," Arthur exclaimed in astonishment. "Of course." He swallowed, expecting another reprimand, but then Hunith's eyes softened again.

"But I want you to know that you have a friend in me, no matter how shaken things are between the two of you; you can call me or show up whenever you want, my door will always be open."

Arthur nodded, relieved and grateful, afraid that his voice would falter if he tried to say something. Hunith smiled and caressed his face fleetingly before taking a step back.

"Have fun!" She said goodbye.

.M.

The news wasn't received by his friends with as much surprise as Arthur expected. They arrived at the pub hand in hand and that was enough to cause the most diverse kinds of reaction.

"Finally!" Gwaine exclaimed, emptying one of the fried platters and passing around the table. "Come on, pay up, pay up... And it's no use making that ass face, Elyan."

"Oh man!" Elyan moaned, reaching for his wallet and waving a note in front of Arthur's nose. "I bet fifty bucks on your heterosexuality, Arthur! Fifty fucking bucks! And that's how you repay me!" He dropped the note on Gwaine's tray, but didn't take his eyes off it as it moved around the table.

Lance handed up his money with no protest and waved to Arthur, smiling as he brought Gwen closer. Strangely, Mordred had a smile on his face as he paid his part, but Arthur imagined that it had more to do with Kara being with him than with the lost bet.

"Hey, I already paid up!" Leon said as Gwaine held the tray in front of him.

"Feel free to pay again, if you feel like." Gwaine shrugged. "So you can show how happy and supportive you are of your best friend."

"No thanks," Leon declined promptly.

"Hey, you knew it?" Elyan was indignant, then looked around. "You too, Percy? Morgana, you don't look too surprised either. What the hell, did everyone know but me?"

"I didn't know," Mordred said, turning to his girlfriend. "Did you know, Kara?"

Kara merely shrugged nonchalantly.

Lance spread his hands in front of himself before Elyan's accusing stare. "Don't look at me."

"Well, don't play the victim, Ely," Gwen scolded her brother. "I didn't know either, despite having my suspicions." She smiled at Merlin, whose face split up in a smile so wide it looked painful.

"Oh, aren't they cute?" Morgana said, smiling fondly.

Gwen nodded. "Yes, they are."

"Merlin, let go of my brother for a moment and come here, will you?" Morgana called out, holding out her hands. "Come on, he's not going anywhere without you!"

Merlin cast a questioning glance at Arthur.

Arthur squeezed his boyfriend's hand before releasing it. "Go ahead," he encouraged, and Merlin showed his perfect teeth as he smiled, kissing Arthur's cheek before joining the girls.

Elyan and Leon said some grumpy protests at the unexpected PDA while Gwaine clapped and asked for more.

"Tell us everything!" Gwen spoke as she joined Morgana and Merlin and the three of them leaned close to each other, whispering and giggling.

Gwaine cast a malicious glances at Arthur, as if proud of his friend's actions. Ignoring him, Arthur watched Merlin for a moment, feeling pleased with himself and regretful, at the same time, for having waited so long to do this. Just by witnessing the open joy that showed in his boyfriend’s face and in his gestures now, Arthur had an idea of how much Merlin must have suffered by having to keep it all secret for so long.

Leon volunteered to pay for a round of drinks and Arthur accompanied him to the counter to help him with the logistics. When they returned to the table, the boys were talking about football and the girls – plus Merlin – were still engaged in their secrets and giggling. Arthur had already suspected it, but now he was completely sure that he couldn't have had better friends.

"Hey, are you free this weekend?" Arthur asked, some time after the third beer, passing a platter of fries to Merlin.

"You mean the whole weekend?" Elyan asked. "One of my college classmates’ getting married on Saturday, but I'm free on Sunday."

"Percy and I are going to Iceland," Gwaine said, frowning. "Why the question?"

"What about you guys?" Arthur asked the others, ignoring him.

Mordred shrugged and nodded, though Kara didn't seem very happy about it – she never seemed happy about anything, so it was hard to say.

"We're free, aren't we?" Lance asked Gwen, who had to be told the question.

"We have to go grocery shopping," Gwen said sternly, and Lance grimaced. "Lance, you promised we'd go this weekend, remember?"

Lance assured his girlfriend that he had no intention of breaking his promise. Leon said he and Morgana were planning to visit his sister, but that they could postpone the trip, depending on the case.

"I'm taking Merlin to Bournemouth tomorrow," Arthur announced.

Merlin's eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, I thought we were going to–" he began, but his words were muffled by the excited chattering from the others.

"I can't believe you did this to me!" Gwaine protested. "I waited until the last minute to book this trip! And now you go and... Fuck, I hate you so much right now!" He kicked the table leg and Percy put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"What are you guys going to do in Iceland?" Elyan scoffed. "There's nothing but ice there!"

"What do you care?" Gwaine replied bitterly. "You won't be able to go to Bournemouth either!"

"Of course I will! Screw the marriage! I can always go to the next one.”

"Now you’re talking," Arthur approved. "Leon?"

"We're in!" Morgana answered for her boyfriend.

Mordred also confirmed his and Kara’s presence, and Arthur turned to Lance.

"Gwen?" Lance pleaded with his best puppy face.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Okay, I guess we’re going too," she conceded, as if agreeing to a blood sacrifice, but the effect was ruined when she and Morgana high fived in celebration.

"That's not fair!" Gwaine complained again. "Why does it have to be this weekend?"

"Because the apartment is vacant," Arthur said, but Gwaine shook his head, unconvinced.

"Who needs the apartment? We might as well spend the night on the yacht, we've done it before, remember? Come on, Arthur, _please_..."

"I'm sorry, Gwaine, this is the last weekend of Merlin's break, it's either take it or leave it."

Gwaine let out a wail, but Percy stood, holding the phone in his hand.

"Where are you going?" Gwaine asked in alarm.

"I'll go outside, see if we can reschedule the flight–" Percy’s explanation was interrupted by a hug from Gwaine.

"God, I love you!" Gwaine kissed him full on the mouth and Percy was slightly flushed as he walked out.

Arthur felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Merlin standing by his side.

"I hope you don't mind," Arthur asked, experiencing a brief moment of insecurity. What if Merlin had changed his mind about going altogether? What if he didn't like the prospect of being at open sea? Hadn't his father died in a open sea plane crash? What if-

"Are you kidding me?" Merlin smiled excitedly. "That's fucking brilliant!"

Arthur pulled him into his lap and snogged him thoroughly. Their audience either catcalled or groaned in protest.

"Hey, if anyone has a problem with watching, you better give up this trip while there's still a chance," Arthur said, holding Merlin's hand which was wrapped around his neck. "Because I won't think twice before snogging my boyfriend in front of your squeamish eyes."

When Arthur pulled Merlin by the nape for another kiss, no one dared complain. There might have been some applaud even.

.M.

Arthur barely entered his apartment before pressing Merlin against the nearest wall, kicking the door shut behind him.

"We're alone, at last," Merlin smirked.

Arthur kissed that perfect smile until Merlin moaned, the amusement replaced by desire as Arthur rubbed himself on his thigh unabashedly, continuing what they had begun in the taxi.

"You're aware that we won't have any privacy for the rest of the weekend, aren't you?" Arthur spoke as they parted to catch their breath.

"I am." Merlin slid his hands down Arthur's back until he reached the base of Arthur's spine, bringing him closer. "Best make the most of tonight, then."

Arthur watched as Merlin licked his own lips and attacked them again in a voluptuous kiss before leaning back once more to meet his eyes. "Merlin," Arthur gasped, joining their foreheads, thrusting his thumbs into the loopholes of Merlin's jeans. "You can do whatever you want to me tonight."

"What?" Merlin asked, seeming distracted by the movement of Arthur's hips.

"I want you to do whatever you want to me," Arthur repeated, reaching for one of Merlin's hands behind him and leading it down to his own ass. "Anything."

Merlin's eyes seemed to focus suddenly, and he froze for a moment, breathless. "Oh."

Arthur returned his gaze with a confidence he was far from feeling. Just thinking about what he was offering made him sweaty with apprehension. Yet, he knew it wasn't fair to deny that experience to Merlin. Gwaine said a lot of bullshit most of the time, but he was right about that. After almost losing Merlin once, Arthur didn't want to risk losing him again to someone willing to give himself to Merlin like that, and if it meant he’d have to overcome his own reluctance and discomfort, then so be it. He’d do anything for Merlin.

"Anything, you said?" Merlin bit his lower lip and slid his other hand down to Arthur's buttocks, squeezing them.

Arthur felt himself tensing involuntarily and tried to cover it up by shifting his weight from one foot to the other. It wasn't as if Merlin had never touched him there, but the context was totally different.

"Yes," Arthur confirmed, swallowing. “Anything.” He was glad to note that his voice came out reasonably firm, though deep down he was hoping Merlin would see right through his bravado and notice how reluctant he really was about the whole thing.

"Well, in this case..." Merlin leaned in to one last kiss before pulling away from him with a naughty smile. "I'll be right back. Don't move," he said warningly, turning and running up the stairs.

Arthur frowned, wondering what Merlin was up to. He imagined that Merlin wouldn't waste time before taking him to bed, but apparently he had been wrong. Arthur took the time to take a deep breath, running a hand through his hair to pull himself together. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and placed it on the kitchen counter, looking around without knowing exactly what he was looking for. He was already planning to announce that he was going up when Merlin reappeared at the top of the stairs, his hands behind his back and a mischievous expression on his face.

"I thought we could play a game," Merlin announced as he climbed down the staircase.

Arthur blinked in confusion. "A game?"

"Yes, a game!" Merlin's eyes flashed with excitement as he stopped in front of Arthur, rocking on his tiptoes.

"Can I ask what kind of game you have in mind?"

"No," Merlin denied promptly. "All you have to know is you're going to have to do exactly what I say. No questioning."

Arthur stared at him for a moment, as if trying to read his intentions on his face, but he let the air out of his lungs in defeat when it proved to be of no use. "Fine." he spread his hands in surrender. "Tell me what to do."

Merlin flashed his teeth in a satisfied grin and took one hand off his back, revealing a black blindfold hanging from one of his fingers. "You can start by putting this on."

Arthur's gaze shifted between the blindfold, the hand that remained hidden behind Merlin's back and his face for a moment before reaching out. "Alright, I guess..."

Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin's as he put the blindfold on his head. When he finally adjusted it to his face, everything went absolutely dark.

"Done," Arthur announced futilely, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and trying not to think too much about how vulnerable he felt without his vision.

"Are you sure you can't see anything?" Merlin questioned.

Arthur nodded. "Absolutely sure."

"Very well, then." Merlin sounded pleased. "First rule of the game, you can't take the blindfold off or sneak a peek without my explicit authorization."

Arthur nodded gravely. "Copy."

He heard footsteps, a rustling of clothes and a soft drag. When Merlin spoke again, he seemed to have moved farther to the right, and Arthur turned his head at the sound of his voice.

"Now take your clothes off," Merlin instructed, and Arthur obeyed after a brief hesitation, feeling a little silly as he stripped to his briefs and socks. "All of them," Merlin scolded, and Arthur grunted, but removed the rest of his clothes.

If it was anyone else asking him this, Arthur would feel humiliated, but it was only Merlin, so, as apprehensive as he felt, Arthur was also a little aroused. He thought he had heard more whispers of clothing than his own, and then he found out the meaning of it when Merlin caught him off guard, pushing him until his back was pressed against the kitchen pillar. Merlin was barefoot and bare-chested, but he still wore his jeans. It made Arthur feel at disadvantage, but he suspected that was exactly Merlin's intention.

"Good boy," Merlin whispered against Arthur's mouth, but turned away when Arthur tried to kiss him. "Easy," he chided, and Arthur thought he heard the smile in his voice before he kissed Arthur's neck.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Arthur said, circling Merlin's waist and tilting his own neck to give him better access.

"Shhh," Merlin whispered. "I'm the one asking the questions tonight."

Merlin seemed more confident than ever and far from being annoyed, Arthur discovered that he liked that dominant side of Merlin. He felt his cock responding quickly to the stimulation, both physical and psychological, filling almost completely.

"The wall is icy," Arthur commented, just to have something to say.

"Funny, you don't look cold down here," Merlin said, holding Arthur's cock and jerking it as he kissed his lips.

Arthur let out a sound of approval as their tongues met, curling and sliding provocatively. He let his hands slide down the base of Merlin's spine, waiting for a reprimand that didn't come. Encouraged by Merlin's receptivity, Arthur slipped his hands inside Merlin's pants and underwear, grasping his buttocks.

Merlin moaned in response. "You wanna fuck me?" He asked next to Arthur's ear, rocking against Arthur's hips, his erection noticeable even through his jeans.

"Yes," Arthur's voice came out hoarse and needy.

"You're gonna have to catch me, then," Merlin whispered and escaped from under Arthur's arms quickly, moving away before Arthur had the time to react properly. "And that's rule number two!"

"Fuck," Arthur cursed, feeling exposed and vulnerable again, though that wasn't nearly enough to overcome his arousal. "That's not funny, Merlin."

"Sounds pretty fun to me!" Merlin sing songed, his voice coming from somewhere in the living room, probably close to the stereo, since he chose this moment to switch it on, the music filling Arthur's senses almost invasively.¹

"Hey, that's not fair!" Arthur complained. "How am I supposed to hear you now?"

"With your ears," Merlin teased, apparently moving into another corner of the room. "Come on, Arthur, I can't see you moving yet!"

Arthur cursed and grumbled, but started to move anyway, keeping his arms outstretched to guide himself and testing the ground before stepping on it. He climbed down the little steps to the living room without any problems, but ended up banging his knee on the couch.

"Ow!"

"Come on, stop whining," Merlin sneered, seeming to have moved again and Arthur had to change his course, moving around the couch.

That is, until he hit the coffee table and almost fell over it.

"Ow!" He said again and heard Merlin's laugh. "Hey, do you mind stop laughing at me?"

"I'm stopping now, promise!"

Arthur paused to inhale deeply as he noticed a sweet, familiar scent. "What’s this smell?"

"Oh, you won't find out if you don't move!"

"Idiot," Arthur growled, resuming walking again.

"I know you love me."

"I can't remember the reason right now."

Merlin tsked reproachfully. "Your mouth is telling me one thing, but your body is telling another thing entirely."

Arthur cursed loudly. He couldn't defend himself against that accusation. "Keep talking, will you?" He said, instead.

It wasn't as if Arthur didn't know his house, but he found himself disoriented about the distances and spaces, in the dark. The fact that Merlin continued to move didn't help either, but Arthur soon gained more confidence, shifting more boldly and nearly cornering Merlin by the window once. He grabbed Merlin once, but his hand slid down Merlin's slippery skin and he escaped easily, laughing.

"What the hell?" Arthur tested the stickiness that remained on his fingers after the encounter and brought them up to his nose, smelling the same sweet scent as before. He remembered where he knew it from then, and his cock twitched at the realization. "Merlin, you're covered in body oil!"

"Very perceptive, as always, Your Majesty!" Merlin's voice came from somewhere near the electric hearth, and Arthur decisively headed in that direction.

Arthur almost caught Merlin twice more; he only managed to hold him long enough to know for sure that, yes, Merlin was completely naked and oiled up. The substance clung to Arthur's skin and he knew he was leaving greasy marks all over the apartment, but he couldn't care less about it; all he wanted was to corner Merlin against a steady surface – any surface would do – and confirm if Merlin had lubricated himself on the inside as well as on the outside.

When he finally pressed Merlin against the kitchen table, the boy’s back against his own chest, a quick finger checking was enough to verify that his suspicions were correct.

"Jesus, Merlin," Arthur gasped, keeping one arm around his boyfriend’s waist so he wouldn't escape again as Arthur slipped two fingers inside him easily. He could state Merlin's uneven breath from the way his abdomen expanded and compressed quickly. "If you run away now, I swear I'll take care of myself right here, with you watching."

"As promising as it sounds, I'm not going anywhere now," Merlin said, pulling his legs further apart and leaning his body over the table top, grinding his ass on Arthur's cock. "You got me." He guided Arthur's hand to his own erection and Arthur realized that he had trimmed his pubes again.

Arthur reached for the blindfold with the intention of taking it off – he wanted to enjoy the view of Merlin leaning over his dinner table, his body gleaming from of the body oil, his skin leaving marks on the glass – Johanna would take forever to clean it the next day – but Merlin grabbed his hand before he did.

"Not yet," Merlin denied sternly.

Arthur grunted, yet complied. He was about to use his own fingers to finish working Merlin open when Merlin batted his hand away again.

"I want you now, Arthur."

"But it's been some time since–"

"Now, Arthur!"

Arthur cursed. He bent down to kiss Merlin's shoulders as he held his own cock and rubbed it between Merlin's buttocks, lubricating it with the oil that gathered there, then guided it into his warm, tight hole. Merlin wasn't nearly prepared enough, and Arthur's cock was instantly squeezed by Merlin's inner muscles.

"Keep going," Merlin encouraged before Arthur could protest.

Arthur slowly pushed further in, then pressed his forehead between Merlin's shoulder blades, breathing heavily. He could feel Merlin's pulse around his twitching cock. "You're so tight, Merlin."

"Like you said... It's been a while," Merlin murmured.

It had been almost two weeks. Two endless weeks. Arthur wished he could see Merlin's face to make sure he wasn't in pain.

"Come on, Arthur." Merlin moved his hips impatiently. "Move."

Arthur didn't wait to be told twice. He started with short thrusts until Merlin's muscles gave in a little more. He let himself go then, taking what his own body was asking for, increasing the pace as the tension in his balls grew tighter.

"Yes," Merlin groaned, apparently not carrying to keep it down with the music still playing in the background. "Ahhh... So good, Arthur... Yes..."

Knowing he was close to climax, Arthur reached for Merlin's cock to stimulate it, but found that Merlin had had the same idea. Arthur growled, grasping Merlin's hips with both hands, the tips of his fingers sliding in his oiled flesh, the sound of their bodies slapping almost obscene in the silence between one song and the next.

"Ahhh!" Merlin shouted, his muscles spasming around Arthur as he rode his own orgasm. "Ahh... Hmmm… Fuck!"

Arthur slowed down until Merlin relaxed again and then continued chasing his own relief.

"Cum for me, Arthur," Merlin said. "Fill me up with your cum."

"Dammit, Merlin." Arthur cursed under his breath, pushing in some more until his orgasm struck him like a train. "I'm cuming, babe."

Arthur bucked his hips a few more times, feeling his own semen drip from inside Merlin as he withdrew. He removed the blindfold then and took a step back to watch Merlin bent over the table, admiring his own work. "Christ, Merlin, you look fucking gorgeous like this."

"Thank you, I guess," Merlin muttered, raising his hand in a vacant wave before falling back on the table top, completely boneless.

Arthur bent over him to kiss him slowly. "Remind me to let you in control more often," he said into Merlin's ear.

"You can bet on it," Merlin said, smiling. He sobered suddenly then, straightening up. "Hey, I don't remember allowing you take the blindfold off!"

"You don't remember?" Arthur feigned innocence. "Are you sure?"

"I should have you carry me up the stairs, after that," Merlin said, punching him in the arm. "You just broke rule number three."

"Oh did I, now?" Arthur folded his arms. "And what is it again? I can't remember you mentioning any third rule."

"Rule number three, the game's not over until I say it is; which means it's still on; which means I can still have you carry me up if I want to."

"Oooo, who's being bossy now, huh?" Arthur snorted and caught Merlin off guard as he lifted him off his feet, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey, I said I _could_ do it! Arthur! You're gonna drop me!"

"You shouldn't have used so much oil on yourself!" Arthur scolded, ignoring his boyfriend's protests as he carried him up the stairs. "Now I'm gonna have to rub it all off in the bathtub. Tsk tsk."

And that's exactly what Arthur did.

About an hour later, when the two of them were tucked in the bed under the sheets – Merlin was slightly reddened where Arthur had rubbed him free of the body oil – Arthur sighed, taking in the scent of his own shampoo on Merlin's hair. "How did you come up with this game?" He asked, curious.

"Well... Will and I used to play Marco Polo when we were kids. I mean, the traditional game, not like this in the slightest," he amended quickly, causing Arthur to relax again, only then realizing how much he had tensed up to that possibility. "I don't know. I just... I thought it might be fun."

"You thought right." Arthur kissed the top of Merlin's head. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I made the offer, but I must confess I liked your idea better."

"Arthur." Merlin leaned back to meet his eyes. "I've already told you this, I'm fine with being a bottom; more than fine, actually. Forget what Gwaine said."

"It’s nothing like that. I don't give a shit about what Gwaine said." Arthur said, indignant, but he sighed at Merlin's skeptical look, averting his eyes. "Alright, maybe I give a shit after all, but I just wanted you to know that we can give it a try, whenever you feel like; it doesn't always have to be like this."

Arthur avoided looking at Merlin as he said that, but he eventually gave in to his own curiosity as the silence that followed stretched more than it should have. The warm smile he found on Merlin's face, though, took his apprehension away.

"Thank you, Arthur," Merlin said, squeezing his arm. "I'll remember this in the future, if I change my mind; maybe when we're both ready for it, but for now I'm happy with things the way they are.”

"Good." Arthur felt even more relieved, arranging his head more comfortably on the pillow and bringing Merlin closer again. "Now we should get some sleep. We’ll leave early tomorrow."

Merlin replied with a yawn and a grunt that Arthur wasn't sure if was supposed to make any sense.

"Hey, Merlin?"

"Hmm?"

"It's so good to have you back."

The answer took a while, but it came nonetheless."It's good to be back."

Arthur smiled and closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed than he'd felt since the last time Merlin had slept with him in that same bed, almost two weeks ago. It was as if Merlin belonged right there in his arms.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ _Pillowtalk – Zayn Malik_


	26. Part 3 - Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

 

At first Merlin found the experience a little scary. The yacht was pretty high and the distance from the bow to the water made him dizzy. The upper deck was even higher, so Merlin stayed away from the rail and preferred to stay inside the boat while traveling to the high seas, not only for his own sake, but also for the sake of the other passengers, since Arthur seemed torn between piloting the boat and keeping an eye on Merlin.

Inside, the yacht was far more spacious than Merlin had first guessed; there was a bedroom, a living room, a small bathroom and even a kitchen inside, plus a covered area with no upper deck, with sofas and sun loungers. The boat could easily accommodate all of them, as Gwaine had mentioned, although it provided little to no privacy. For this reason, they had stopped at the apartment earlier, on a very fancy building facing the beach, and left their luggage there, except for Percy, Gwaine, Mordred and Kara, who’d chosen to spend the night on the yacht.

When they lost sight of land, they lowered the anchor into the sea, so Merlin had no alternative but to put his newly acquired swimming trunks and sunglasses on - Arthur had stopped by in a store on their way there to buy him those - and going out to the deck, but not before putting on sunscreen - Arthur helped him with that and he was happy to return the favor. Merlin watched with caution as the others leapt into the water from the highest points of the ship.

At some point, Gwaine tried to thrown Merlin into the water too. He had approached Merlin from behind and swooped him up in his arms and was about to jump with him into the sea when Arthur threatened to feed his balls to the sharks if he dared to give one more step.

"Can't you see that Merlin’s terrified, you fucker?" Arthur snapped, pulling Merlin away from Gwaine and into the shelter of his arms, moving as far from the the gunwale as he could get. 

"But he said he can swim!" Gwaine argued, rubbing his arms where Merlin had buried his nails like a frightened cat.

"He's afraid of heights, you dumb asshole!" Arthur took Merlin back to the cabin and held him until Merlin stopped shaking.

"I don't think I'll be able to jump into the water," Merlin admitted sadly.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, you don't have to jump into the water like these idiots, there's a ladder on the lower deck."

"Oh. Really?"

Once the problem of heights was solved, there was still the fact that they were in the middle of the ocean, having no idea what might be below them. Maybe Merlin had watched too many suspense movies, but it took him some time to relax enough to enjoy the water, which was a little too chilled for his liking, but it was nothing a little bit of sunbathe couldn't solve, now and again. Also, there were several buoys and floating lounge chairs scattered around the yacht, bound by ropes so as not to drift, and he could cling to them whenever he got tired of swimming.

Arthur behaved wonderfully. He stayed close to Merlin all the time, asking every five minutes if everything was fine, scolding Gwaine and Elyan as they jumped close to them and offering drinks and snacks at every opportunity. Gwen and Morgana had been responsible for their solid supplies, while Lance and Leon provided the liquids, which meant they were well served of both. Merlin had to pretty much shoo Arthur away in the middle of the afternoon, when he decided to join the girls for a sunbath on the deck, at least until Morgan started making plans about taking him to a sex shop, when Merlin made up some poor excuse to go find Arthur.

"The music's not bad," Merlin remarked as he joined Arthur in the water again, leaning his arms crossed on a buoy while the rest of his body remained submerged in the water.

Merlin had competed with Elyan for the control of the stereo and they agreed to take turns after Elyan argued that he was the only one unaccompanied, so he had no comfort beyond his music. And that's why they ended up listening to Elton John, Phil Colins and Erick Clapton for the most of Saturday.

"It's not a matter of it being bad or not," Arthur said, hugging him from behind and resting his chin on Merlin's shoulder. "The matter is that your taste in music is more fitting to the occasion. Besides, it's not our fault if Elyan doesn't have a girlfriend; why do we have to listen to these depressing songs when we could be listening to One Direction?"

"Don't make fun of me!" Merlin pinched Arthur's arm. "I know you like  _ Walking in The Wind _ ."

"And  _ What a Feeling _ ," Arthur offered, kissing his neck. "Don't forget  _ What a Feeling _ ."

Merlin smiled and turned his face to the side, so that Arthur could kiss him. His lips tasted like sunscreen and salt.

"Have I already mentioned that you look great in these trunks?" Arthur mumbled as he nibbled Merlin's lower lip, his arms sliding down Merlin's abdomen, playing with the stubble beneath his belly button, the hair there beginning to grow again.

"You're not bad either," Merlin mumbled back and Arthur kissed him again, this time more provocatively, thrusting his hand down Merlin's trunks.

"Er," Merlin murmured, breaking the kiss and looking around. "Hey, I don't think this is a good idea."

Merlin could see the other boys farther ahead, in the water, engaged in a rather relaxed conversation, and the girls were probably on the other side of the boat, drinking coconut water on their floating mattresses and scolding Gwaine for daring to splash water on them.

"No one's paying attention to us," Arthur assured him, sliding his scratchy jaw on the side of Merlin's neck. Merlin knew his skin would turn red there, but he couldn't care much about it as Arthur persuaded him, warming his body with sensual caresses, despite the cold water.

Merlin allowed to be kissed and handled by Arthur, gasping as he felt Arthur's erection poking the base of his spine. There was something exciting about the possibility of being caught, but it wasn't like anyone could see exactly what was going on under the water. Besides, Arthur was a tremendously good kisser.

The sound of something heavy hitting the water frightened them, and Arthur jumped back, plunging into the water as Merlin grabbed the float and turned his face to the opposite side, to keep the splashing water from hitting his ear.

"Hey, I hope I didn't interrupt anything too naughty," Gwaine was saying, but Arthur shoved him back into the water, keeping him immersed for as long as he could.

"Get out of my sight before I finish what I started, Gwaine," Arthur said as Gwaine came up to breathe.

"Take it easy, Princess." Gwaine tossed his hair back, unshaken. "I wouldn't have ruined your fun if not for a good reason. The boys are coming," he pointed to the direction the others were before and they watched as the five of them swimmed up to them. "Besides, I was really enjoying the show up there; at least the part that wasn't underwater, although I'd love to have-"

"Gwaine!" Arthur scolded.

Gwaine raised his hands in surrender. "No need to thank me!" He said and swam towards the others. "Hey, does anybody want to compete with me in the hundred meters?"

"I'll never gamble with you again in my life, Gwaine." Merlin heard Elyan say, but continued to stare at Arthur, leaning on the float and sighing.

"I just remembered why I didn't think it was a good idea to wear a pair of tight, small swimming trunks," Merlin commented, and Arthur laughed, tossing his head back. "I mean, if I were in a pair of baggy shorts it probably wouldn't be so hard to hide a boner."

"Hey, what do you say about we going inside to finish our previous conversation with a little bit more privacy?" Arthur suggested, indicating the yacht with a nod. "So you don't have to worry about the size and tightness of your swimwear."

"I think Percy and Gwaine have already taken over the bedroom and I don't think it would be wise to do it on the couch with all those windows. I know the glass is mirrored, but it's hard to see everything that happens outside and not imagine that anyone can see us on the inside. "

"How about the bathroom, then?" Arthur came over, whispering in his ear. "Come on, Merlin... We didn't have time to do anything this morning and I don't know if I can wait until tonight with you parading around nearly naked like this."

"Pervert," Merlin said, rolling his eyes, as if he himself hadn't been drooling over Arthur in his swimming trunks all day long. "There's only one flaw in your plan. How are we both going to get to the bathroom in the present condition without anyone noticing?"

"I’ll hide you." Arthur shrugged and Merlin arched an eyebrow.

"And who’s going to hide you?"

It was Arthur's turn to roll his eyes. "Wait a sec."

Arthur dove in and re-emerged a few yards further, near the ladder. He looked around and Merlin did the same, but the boys were otherwise entertained, helping Gwaine and Elyan to climb into a floating mattress for some sort of competition.

Arthur took advantage of the distraction to climb up the stairs quickly, but not fast enough that Merlin couldn't see the exact outline of his erection through his trunks, which seemed too small to contain it. Arthur reached for a towel and covered himself with it, gesturing for Merlin to come up. As soon as Merlin reached the stairs, Arthur threw a towel at him and winked, disappearing into the cabin next. Merlin toweled himself hastily and followed him.

When Merlin walked through the door to the lower deck, Arthur pulled him into the small bathroom, locking the door and snogging him. Arthur forced Merlin to take a step back until his hip hit the sink, then turned him around so that they both were facing the mirror, which covered the most part of the wall. He thrusted his hand inside Merlin's trunks and continued where he had left as he stared at him through the mirror and dirty talked into his ear, rubbing his own erection on Merlin's ass.

It wasn't long before their swimsuits were removed and tossed on the floor. Arthur bend Merlin over the stone of the sink, causing his nose to nearly hit the mirror. Arthur knelt between Merlin's legs then - Merlin was glad to have taken some considerable time for his intimate hygiene that morning - burying his face between his buttocks and licking his ass. Merlin had to bite his bottom lip to withhold a wanton moan.

"Is my beard scratching you?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head before he remembered Arthur couldn't see him from this position. "No," he said out loud, his voice echoing in the cramped bathroom.

Merlin avoided his own reflection in the mirror and gasped when Arthur licked him again, pulling his buttocks apart for better access.

Merlin bumped into some of the items scattered over the sink as he brought his arm over his own mouth, muffling his moans as Arthur worked his anus, perineum, and testicles, exploring, teasing, sucking, fucking him with his tongue, and lubricating. It was almost maddeningly arousing. Merlin still had a hard time believing Arthur could enjoy it as much as he did, but he figured it must not be so bad, judging by the way Arthur grunted and said obscenities between one lick and another. Merlin thrust his face into his folded arms and groaned, rocking his ass over Arthur's face whenever he made a move to step away.

"You like this, Merlin?"

"Yeah."

"You're so delicious."

"Uh. Ah."

Merlin whined when Arthur straightened up, but he didn't have time to make any further protests since Arthur was quick to grab his face and turn it to the side to give him a warm and awkward kiss. Arthur spat on his own hand then, kissing Merlin's shoulders as he worked him open with two, three fingers.

"Please, Arthur." Merlin gasped, pushing toward Arthur's hand. Arthur shifted the angle in response and hit his prostate, making Merlin let out a surprised shout that echoed in the tight room for long seconds.

Merlin covered his own mouth, but Arthur tugged at his arm and turned him around, bringing them face to face. Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders in an instinctive reaction, watching as Arthur spat on his own cock.

"Is this what you want?" Arthur asked, holding his own penis by the base and Merlin's cock twitched in appreciation.

"Yes," Merlin nodded eagerly, already anticipating the feeling of being filled up by it.

Arthur had Merlin seated on the stone of the sink and ran his hand behind one of his knees, lifting it up. Merlin leaned back as far as the space allowed and planted one hand on the mirror for balance as Arthur thrust into him, stretching him almost impossibly.

Merlin cursed and threw his head back, hissing. Arthur was so big! Merlin wondered if he would ever get used to it.

"Jesus, Merlin." Arthur gasped when he was balls deep, his cock throbbing as he gave Merlin some time to adjust.

Merlin didn't want to wait, though. He wanted to feel the burning, the pleasure-pain. He lifted his other leg, supporting the weight of his body on the sink and the mirror behind, and Arthur gripped his thighs, beginning to move, his eyes fixed on the point where they connected.

When Arthur realized Merlin was staring at him, he pulled him into a kiss. "Are you uncomfortable?" He asked, his hands going down to the part where Merlin's hip met the sink. "Would you like me to put a towel below you?"

"No," Merlin declined. He wasn't exactly comfortable, but he had other urgencies at the moment. "Just... get on with it already."

Arthur smirked, but he nodded in acquiescence and resumed fucking him, this time with more intent. Merlin cursed and moaned and gasped, covering his mouth with the back of his hand whenever he got too carried away. He kept his eyes fixed on Arthur, attentive to the way he looked back at him adoringly; the way his abdominal muscles contracted; his breathing shallower and more unsteady by the minute. Merlin's bottom was icy; his bones were aching; his sweat and Arthur's saliva weren't nearly enough to keep it from hurting, but none of that mattered when Arthur found the right angle, reaching his prostate with every jerk.of his hips. Arthur dropped one of Merlin's legs to wrap his fingers around his cock, and the tension built-up inside Merlin suddenly exploded in waves, sending spurts of cum into his stomach as he bit his own hand.

Arthur grunted and stopped for a moment, his cock twitching repeatedly as he came silently, moving a few more times until he stopped altogether.

"Ouch.. My back," Merlin complained as his muscles began to cool down and Arthur kissed his knee before pulling away, giving Merlin room to straighten up. "Ouch... My legs." He felt his muscles burning as he relaxed and he was forced to lean on the sink when his knees threatened to give out.

" _ Ouch, my ears! _ " They heard someone say outside - Elyan, maybe?

Merlin froze, eyes widening at Arthur.

" _ Is it already over? _ " They heard Gwaine's voice. " _ Just when I was starting to picture it in my mind! _ "

"Shit." Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck!" He rubbed his face.

" _ No need to be embarrassed, Princess! I'm sure you’re not usually this quick _ ."

"Shut up, Gwaine!"

Merlin cringed as Arthur's shout echoed on the walls. He glanced around, searching for his trunks and was about to reach the toilet paper to wipe the mess in his chest and between his legs when Arthur held him.

"Hey, we don't have to hurry, okay? Forget those idiots. It's not like we're hiding something from them, is it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Merlin relaxed his tensed up shoulders, relieved by Arthur's reaction. "Besides, the yacht is yours."

"Now you're talking." Arthur wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled away when he realized he'd gotten himself dirty too. "Oops, I think we should take care of this now."

Arthur doused a towel in the sink and cleaned them unhurriedly while Gwaine and Elyan continued to rattle outside. They put on their swimming trunks again and Merlin examined his reflection, stroking the redness from Arthur's beard on his neck. It wasn't too noticeable; not more visible than the marks of Arthur's fingers on his thigh, anyway.

" _ Hey, I'm serious, Percy really needs to go! Tell them, Percy!" _

" _ Leave me out of this, Gwaine. _ " They heard Percy's flat response.

Arthur rolled his eyes, kissing Merlin one last time before he stepped forward and opened the door. Merlin couldn't see his expression, but he could imagine his menacing scowl by the way Elyan and Gwaine turned silent at the sight of him.

"I didn't know what was going on in there." Elyan began to justify himself. "I just wanted to use the loo and I thought Merlin was seasick or something."

"You had to see his face when the penny finally dropped." Gwaine laughed. "He turned white, but he held on until the very end. I'm proud of you, man." He wrapped an arm around Elyan's shoulder.

"There's only one bathroom!" Elyan insisted, but rolled his eyes when Arthur made no move to give way. "Look, if you didn't want anyone to hear you, you should have kept it down or, oh, I don't know, waited to do it somewhere else, maybe?"

"Maybe on my other yacht?" Arthur sneered, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the doorframe. "Where there's sure to be no fucking perverts listening at the door? And don't even think about blaming this all on Gwaine," he amended when Elyan opened his mouth to defend himself. "You know what? I'm already used to Gwaine's childish behavior and I'm not surprised anymore, but I really didn't expect this from you, Elyan. What's happened to you?"

"Bad influence," Percy offered, and Merlin craned his neck to see him down the hall, leaning against the wall and with a beer bottle in hand.

"Hey!" Gwaine cried out, indignant. "If that were the case, you should be the worst of them! Nobody spends more time with me than you do, Percy."

Percy shrugged. "I don't get that easily influenced."

"What can I say?" Elyan stated, still holding Arthur's gaze. "It's not my fault if you shoved Gwaine into my division and forgot to get him back for months on end."

"Awww... I'm so proud of you, Ely!" Gwaine squeezed his friend's shoulder.

"Gwaine, you'd better shut up," Merlin advised, approaching Arthur and resting his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder.

Predictably, Gwaine ignored his advice. "Or what? Feel free to pay in kind, Princess. You can watch Percy and me anytime."

"No, I don't think so," Percy intervened stoically.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" They heard Lance's voice at the end of the corridor and Merlin stuck his head out to see him carrying Gwen in his lap. "Make way to a sick woman! Come on, make way!"

Arthur and Merlin hurried out of the bathroom and the others cleared the path more than quickly.

Elyan was the only one to resist. "No, I was here first!" He stepped forward, but pulled away quickly when Gwen covered her mouth with her hand, looking nauseated.

"Hey, Arthur, do you have anything for her to take?" Lance asked as he passed them.

Arthur nodded. "I'll find something."

Lance slammed the bathroom door as they entered.

"Honestly, who gets sick on a yacht?" Elyan complained.

"Hey, Elyan, I'm taking control of the stereo," Merlin stated, ignoring Elyan's protests as he followed Arthur into the kitchen.

The kitchen was no more than a narrow corridor, just enough space for one person at a time.

"Need help?" Merlin offered.

Arthur shook his head. "No, it's alright, just get on with it and spare us all the ear hemorrhage."

Merlin went to the living room and removed Elyan's CD from the stereo, tweaking its settings until he found the bluetooth, putting his phone's playlist on next. Merlin sighed at the first beat of the song¹ and slumped on the couch, lying down and placing an arm over his face to get some rest.

"Hey!" Arthur said as he flopped over Merlin without previous notice.

Merlin screamed, then punched him in the chest. "You startled the shit out of me, you prat!"

"Shhh!" Arthur covered his mouth and pointed to the glass window.

Merlin propped himself up on his elbows to look at the pointed out direction. Morgana and Leon stood outside, leaning against the rail, talking very close to each other. Morgana was as gorgeous as ever, in her fancy bathing suit and see through robe, and Leon had put on a pair of shorts over his trunks and was now kneeling and taking something out of his pocket...

"Oh my fucking God!" Merlin covered his mouth with his hand as Morgana did the same, looking down at the ring Leon offered her.

For a moment, she looked too surprised to react, but then she smiled smugly and said something before pulling him into a kiss. The thick glass muffled the conversation outside, but Merlin could bet she'd said something like "What took you so long?"

"I can't believe Leon just did it!" Merlin looked at Arthur, who had been sitting on the couch, smiling. "Did you know he was going to propose?"

"He mentioned that he might do it if the occasion presented itself." Arthur shrugged, then turned his eyes away from the couple to face Merlin. "Why are you so surprised?"

Merlin closed his gaping mouth, blinking. "Oh, well. They haven't been dating for that long, have they?"

"No, but they've known each other for many years and they're mature enough. So what if it hasn't been that long?"

Merlin stepped back, startled by Arthur's harsh defensiveness. "I'm not criticizing, I think they're perfect for each other, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon!"

Arthur let the air out of his lungs, rubbing his face and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm sorry."

Merlin sat down, putting a hand behind his boyfriend’s back reassuringly. "What is the matter, Arthur?"

Arthur took a moment to respond, breathing deeply. "I've just been thinking..." He trailed off as he looked down at his own hands, visibly avoiding staring at him. "I know we haven't been together for so long, and this is your first relationship, but... Look, I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't feel ready to, okay? And I promise I will not be upset if you don't want to try it right now, but... "

"Arthur, you aren't thinking of asking me to marry you, by any chance, are you?" Merlin asked with a nervous giggle.

Arthur didn't seem to have heard him, however, frowning at the floor.

"Arthur, look at me," Merlin asked urgently.

When Arthur stared at him, there was some uncertainty, and even fear in the way with his eyes seemed unable to fix any part of Merlin's face long enough.

Merlin felt his own heart racing with a mixture of apprehension and anxiety. "Hey..." he placed a hand on his boyfriend's face, stroking the line of his chin and Arthur sighed, holding his hand in place. "You can say it, whatever it is."

Arthur's crystal blue irises finally settled into his."Would you like to move in with me?"

Merlin's eyes widened, his mouth opening wide as he let out a choked sound.

"You don't have to answer right away," Arthur amended quickly, his forehead wrinkling with worry. "Actually, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. You can just ignore the question-"

Merlin moved forward to silence him with a kiss, giving up talking altogether. Arthur corresponded after a brief hesitation and pulled him into his lap.

"You know you're going to have to keep the refrigerator stocked, don't you?" Merlin spoke a few seconds later. "And I'm talking about real food. Eggs, milk, bacon..."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Arthur rolled his eyes, the corner of his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a smile.

"And you're going to have to make room in your closet for all my clothes and shoes, and for my stuff in your bathroom."

"I'm sure we can sort that out."

"And we'd probably have to have dinner at my mom's at least once a week."

"No problem."

"And Will will probably show up uninvited, get hold of your Xbox and won't settle down until he beats you at Fifa."

"Shit." Arthur winced. "I had entirely forgotten about the Will issue."

"Will is not just an  _ issue _ , he’s a pain in the ass most of the time, but he's part of the deal. If you take me, you have to take him too."

"As much as I want you to live with me, Merlin, I refuse to share my bed with Will."

"Don't be ridiculous." Merlin rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I get it." Arthur smiled. "And if putting up with Will once a week is the price I have to pay to have you around all the time, so be it!"

"Who mentioned once a week? I didn't say it’d be just once a week!"

"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur brought him in for another kiss, and Merlin hung on his neck again, smiling. "When can I get your stuff?"

"Hey, slow down!" Merlin laughed, though he suspected it wasn't that funny. "I have to talk to my mom first, give her time to get used to the idea."

"When?"

"By the end of next week?"

Arthur grunted, annoyed, but eventually agreed. "Alright, now come back here." Arthur pulled him by the back of his neck, but they were interrupted by Elyan's wail before they managed to attach their lips again.

"This again? Honestly, why don't you get a room for once?"

"No one forced you to come here, Elyan," Merlin said, earning a surprised look from the other two. "What? It's true!"

"You heard him, Elyan," Arthur signaled for the man to leave them alone.

"Oh, whatever." Elyan turned on his heels to climb down the stairs, but Arthur called out before he went too far.

"Hey, Ely, how's Gwen doing?"

"She's better, now that she threw up." Elyan scratched his head. "Oh, that's what I was going to say, actually. Where's that remedy you promised?"

Arthur held Merlin's ass more firmly and stood up, lifting him along before gently easing him down on the couch. "I'll be right back," he said, giving Merlin one last peck. "Don't go out there without putting on more sunblock."

"I’ll be right here!" Merlin slapped Arthur's ass and laughed as Elyan started complaining again, grudgingly following Arthur into the kitchen.

They walked past Mordred, who was coming out of the kitchen with two bottles of beer in hand. He nodded at Merlin as he passed as he passed by, heading for the deck. Merlin debated with himself for a moment before following him outside.

Mordred was leaning over the rail where Leon and Morgana had been before and staring down into the water while he drank his beer.

"Hey," Merlin said as he approached. A quick peek down confirmed his suspicion that Mordred had been looking down at Kara, stretched out on one of the floating mattresses, seemingly dozing, sheltered from the sun in the shadow cast by the ship.

"Hey, you want a beer?" Mordred offered the extra bottle he held. "I was going to offer it to Kara, but I think she's asleep. I can always get her another one later."

"Sure." Merlin accepted the drink, leaning against one of the glass windows to keep a safe distance from the rail. "I'm happy that you guys are back together."

"Thank you." Mordred gave him a small smile, lowering his eyes. "I'm happy for you and Arthur too."

"Thanks." It was Merlin's turn to look away, feeling guilty for having misjudged Mordred before.

"Arthur's a great guy," Mordred commented.

"Yeah, I know." Merlin nodded awkwardly.

"He's always worried about his friends. He took care of me after Gaius retired."

"Oh, you met Gaius?" Merlin was surprised.

"Yes, he was my mentor, actually." Mordred smiled wistfully. "He practically adopted me, as soon as I entered Pendragon Consulting. It was my first job, so I was kind of lost in the early days, but he had a lot of patience with me. After he left and Cenred took over, Arthur kind of took over watching my back.”

"Yeah, it sounds like something that he'd do," Merlin sighed. "Take care of his friends, I mean."

"Actually, it's because of Arthur that Kara and I are back together."

Merlin straightened up. "Is it?"

"Yes. It was he who encouraged me to call her and ask her to come back and, well... it worked." Mordred shrugged.

"Oh." Merlin exclaimed.

Before he could react, however, they heard Gwaine's voice. "I swear I didn't know it was your towel, Ely!" Gwaine ran past them, with a enraged Elyan on his heels.

"Of course you didn't," Elyan mumbled, unconvinced.

Gwaine clung to the rail and climbed onto one of the bars, preparing to jump.

"No!" Mordred shouted, but it was too late.

Gwaine jumped, sloshing water at Kara, who screeched.

"Elyan!" Merlin called, but Elyan followed Gwaine into the water without a second thought.

"I have to go!" Mordred said and ran down the stairs, getting into the water to rescue his now completely drenched girlfriend.

"Merlin!" Merlin turned at the sound of Arthur's call from inside the cabin. "Did you happen to put on sunscreen?"

Merlin had already abandoned the unfinished bottle of beer and was running before he realized what he was doing, throwing himself in Arthur's arms. Caught by surprise, Arthur was forced to take a few steps back to regain his balance after the impact. Merlin took advantage of his astonishment to snog him, trying to convey at least a portion of what he felt in the gesture.

"Did I ever say I love you?" Merlin asked as he leaned away, biting his lower lip.

Arthur blinked for a moment, dumbfounded, before his face broke into a smile. "You said it now." He cupped Merlin's face, stroking his lower lip with his thumb before kissing him again.

.M.

"Arthur, can you get the toast for me, please?" Morgana said as Arthur passed the kitchen, back in the apartment. She was carefully examining the contents of the refrigerator, tapping her nails on the door.

"Where from?" Arthur looked around the small kitchen next to the living room. Things were a little cluttered in the apartment, since they hadn't wasted any more time than they needed with tidying the place, having spent all day on the yacht.

"There," Morgana pointed, almost hitting her brother's face in the process.

Arthur nearly missed the whole purpose of the gesture, but he soon realized what she was aiming with it as he saw something shine in her finger. "Ah, yes, your engagement ring is very pretty, Morgana," Arthur said, to what his sister peeked out of the refrigerator and smirked, holding a pot of peanut butter.

"Isn't it?" She smiled presumptuously.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"For goodness sake, Arthur, give Merlin some space to breathe without you sniffing at his throat, for once," Morgana said, closing the refrigerator and sitting on one of the high stools, tapping the seat next to her. "Come, sit here with me for a while. We haven't talked in a long time."

Arthur sighed, but acquiesced, accepting a piece of toast with peanut butter. Gwen was lying on the sofa bed in the living room, watching television as Elyan fumbled for something in his suitcase, waiting for his turn in the shower. The apartment had two bedrooms, but only one of them had an ensuite bathroom, which left then with only two bathrooms for seven people. Arthur had claimed the larger room as soon as they arrived, but he eventually gave up the small privilege on behalf of Morgana and Leon, as an engagement present. Merlin and Arthur got the smaller room, while Gwen, Lance and Elyan were to sleep in the living room. Percy, Gwaine, Mordred, and Kara had chosen to stay on the yacht, despite Arthur's reassurance that there were enough extra mattresses in the apartment, and the place was ample enough to accommodate everyone.

"So... have you chosen the date yet?" Arthur asked his sister.

"We're thinking about January, but we haven't picked the exact day yet." Morgana bit her toast and set about preparing more.

"Have you told our father yet?"

Morgana sighed. "Not yet. I'll call him before bed."

They were silent for a while, and Arthur looked away from the television to face his sister, who seemed to be absorbed in her own thoughts. She would never have let it show that she was worried about her father's reaction, but Arthur knew she wasn't as indifferent as she tried to look like. Yet, he also knew that any attempt of comforting his sister right now would be in vain.

"Hey," Arthur called, and Morgana looked up at him. "Have I already mentioned how happy I am for the both of you?"

"Yes, you have already mentioned it." Morgana pretended to be bored for a moment, but eventually smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, little brother. I gather that Leon has already invited you to be a best man, right?"

"A few weeks ago, yes."

" _ Weeks _ ?" Morgana sounded indignant. "Has he been planning this for weeks? How come he was so sure I'd say yes?"

"He wasn't, actually." Arthur shrugged. "I was the one who talked him into it. Thinking about it, I'm not sure if it was he who invited me to be his best man or if it was I who offered myself to the post."

Morgana shook her head, smiling. "Well, I've already spoken to Gwen," she said. "She's very excited about it."

"Hey, did you say January?" Arthur asked, finally realizing what it meant. "As in next January?"

"Yes," Morgana nodded, quietly continuing to make her stack of toasts.

"In four months, isn't it a little hasty?"

Morgana shrugged. "You think it's too soon? Do you want to bet that Gwen’ll beat me at this?"

"Gwen?" Arthur looked at his friend, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Elyan was sitting in the chair next to her, having finally got hold of the remote.

"Shhh!" Morgana rebuked. "Keep it down, will you?"

"Gwen and Lance are engaged?" Arthur whispered incredulously.

"No, but what do you think will happen when she tells Lance that she's pregnant?"

"Gwen’s-" Arthur widened his eyes as he gaped at Gwen again, expecting to see something different in her, but she looked the same as always. "Dear God!"

"Don't say a word to Lance yet," Morgana murmured, casting a sidelong glance at the still closed bathroom door. "She doesn't know for sure. She wants to know for sure first, in case it's just a false alarm, but I'm sure she's pregnant," she added before Arthur could say anything.

"Wow!" Arthur smiled. "Well, in this case, she and Lance are likely to be married within a month! Knowing Lance, he's going to be desperate to put a ring on her before it becomes apparent."

They were silent again and Arthur considered the pile of toast with peanut butter, narrowing his eyes at his sister then. "You're not pregnant either, are you?"

"Of course not," Morgana snorted. "I'm just hungry, okay? I was taking a shower when you had dinner and there's not much left for me, is there?" She glared at Elyan. "Besides, what would Uther say? He may have impregnated his mistress, but he would never accept it if his daughter were to get pregnant before she's married," she sounded sarcastic.

"I'll tell him about Merlin," Arthur said, before he could stop himself, making Morgana stare up at him with an arched eyebrow. "After you tell him your news, of course. I don't want to cast a shadow on your engagement or anything."

"Oh, Arthur, don't say such a thing." Morgana set down the knife to hold both of her brother's hands. "It's not like it's bad news."

"And that's what  _ you _ think." Arthur stared at the television without really seeing it. "I have no idea how he's going to react, but I'm quite sure it isn't going to be any pretty. Hopefully he'll be too happy with you and Leon to care."

"So, what if he doesn't like it?" Morgana straightened her spine. "It's not like you need his blessing, is it?"

Arthur chose not to respond.

"What did you and Alator arrange to do about Merlin's supervision, by the way?" Morgan asked, turning her attention back to the food.

Arthur shifted in his seat. "I haven't asked him yet," Arthur admitted. He continued then, before his sister's accusing glare. "I didn't have the time to call him yesterday, but I'm sure he's not going to oppose taking Merlin in. In fact, I think he's going to enjoy having Merlin as his trainee.”

"Arthur..." Morgana said in a warning tone.

Arthur sighed. "I'll call him on Monday morning, alright?"

"Well, let me know as soon as you have an agreement with him. Anyway, I'll leave the paperwork ready-"

They heard the bathroom door open and Lance came out wearing pajamas and a towel around his neck. "Who’s next?"

"Me!" Elyan jumped up from the couch and ran past him.

"Well, I guess I'll go to bed now," Arthur said, standing up. "And don't you guys forget, we're leaving tomorrow at eight o'clock. Everyone who isn't ready by then will be left behind."

“Oh? And what if your dear Merlin is late? Will you leave him behind too?” Morgana teased.

Arthur gave her the finger as he left the kitchen. He found Merlin on the porch of their bedroom, already in pajamas, sitting on a lounge chair and admiring the view of the sea ahead. Merlin didn't seem to have heard him approaching, concentrating somewhere on the horizon, so Arthur leaned against the doorframe of the balcony and stared at him for a moment. He never imagined he could find such beauty in a man, and he was still amazed at how much Merlin's vision filled his chest with a warm, comforting feeling. It wasn't just his smooth, harmonious features, but the kindness and sweetness they conveyed. Merlin closed his eyes when the sea breeze blew a little stronger and Arthur could guess that he was paying attention to the sound of the waves in the distance.

The balcony door creaked in the wind, and Merlin turned at the sound, startling. "Hey." He smiled at noticing Arthur and that simple act brightened his features even more. "What are you doing there, so quiet?"

"Same as you, admiring the view."

"This is so beautiful, Arthur."

"I know," Arthur returned, still keeping his eyes on Merlin, who turned his face, looking embarrassed.

"Come here." Merlin gestured to the chair beside him.

Arthur approached, but pulled Merlin up to his feet and sat in his vacant chair, pulling him into his lap next. Merlin smiled and settled in his arms, resting his head on Arthur's neck.

"Did you call your mother?" Arthur asked, stroking the short strands of hair on the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Strangely, she already knew about our destination. Any idea who might have told her?"

"None whatsoever." Arthur feigned innocence.

"But she didn't know about the yacht. I think she was a little apprehensive when I told her that we spent the day on the high seas, but she was a little more reassured when I mentioned the buoys."

"That's good," Arthur nodded. "It's safer than on the beach, actually."

"Yeah, I tried to convince her of that, but I don't think it worked."

"Did you tell her about my proposal?" Arthur asked on impulse.

The truth was he feared that Merlin had already regretted agreeing to move into his apartment, but he breathed a sigh of relief when Merlin nodded.

"Can you believe she said it was about time for me to leave?"

"Oh, really?" Arthur was surprised, if a little amused too.

"Yes!" Merlin was indignant. "She sounded almost happy, in fact. She said she was tired of doing laundry twice a week and that she couldn't wait to not have to cook dinner every day, as if I were the one who forced her to do it!"

"Well, you did turn up your nose at my frozen food the first time we went to Newbury."

Merlin looked at him suspiciously. "What are you implying by this?"

"Nothing at all!" Arthur said, amused, and Merlin snorted, unconvinced. "Hey, what do you say about we advancing your moving in, then? I can get your things tomorrow evening!"

"Arthur..." Merlin sounded a little condescending, but then he stared at him gravely. "My classes will be starting this week and it's gonna be crazy even if I don't have to make time to packing and unpacking. It's best if we until next weekend."

"I'll help you pack. You won't have to-"

"Hey, there's no need to hurry." Merlin sounded amused, stroking Arthur's neck with his nose. "I'm not going to run away or change my mind, if that's what you're worried about."

"Fine, you're right," Arthur conceded, even though annoyed. "As long as you don't ignore me all week."

"Why would I ignore you all week?"

"Because the week is going to be crazy as you said; because your classes will be starting again! because you have to pack up and do your homework... It doesn't look like you’ll have much time left for me in your schedule."

Merlin pinched his arm. "Stop whining and pouting like a baby."

"I'm not whining and I'm certainly not pouting either!" Arthur defended himself.

"Yes you are!" Merlin touched Arthur's lips with his finger.

Arthur batted his hand away. "I'm not," Arthur said, pouting.

Merlin laughed, cupping his chin and kissing him tenderly. "I promise I won't ignore you, okay?"

"You'd better not, or I'll have to kidnap you halfway through the week."

"Sounds tempting," Merlin said, then seemed to remember something, staring up at the sky. "Hey, I found it!"

"Found what?" Arthur followed his gaze, finding only the starlit sky above them.

"Arcturus, the Bear Guard." Merlin pointed to somewhere above them, then frowned. "Wait, no, I think it's... Damn, I swear there weren't this many stars the last time I looked."

Arthur laughed and pulled him by the back of his neck, trying to align their eyesight as much as possible before holding Merlin's hand, pointing. "There."

"Ah, there it-" Merlin paused for a long yawn. "There it is."

"Hey, how about we get some sleep now?" Arthur offered, realizing how Merlin's eyelids seemed heavy as he blinked. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't tired himself. Saturday had been quite long and Sunday promised to be full of activities as well.

Merlin hummed, snuggling closer to him. "It feels so good out here."

Arthur kept stroking Merlin's hair until he fell asleep, then carried him to bed.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ _I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding._  
>  **A.N.:** just an observation, One Direction's song Walking in The Wind reminds me of the last chapter of the series, so I couldn't help mentioning it in here.


	27. Part 3 - Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind the warning at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 26**

 

**30th week**

"So..." Merlin rocked on his tiptoes, his hands tucked into his jeans pockets as Arthur retrieved his tea from the Starbucks bag. "Shall I go down to Development's now?"

"Huh," Arthur said, frowning as he took a sip of his beverage. "I still didn't get to talk to Alator, I called this morning, but he was in a meeting.

"I see." Merlin pressed his lips together, forcing a smile, then averted his eyes. "Okay. Erm... Well, I'll see if Gwen needs help, then."  He merely stood there for a moment, waiting for a reaction that didn't came.

Merlin gave up waiting and was about to leave when Arthur called him back.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"

Merlin turned around to see him holding the Starbucks bag containing his cappuccino and sandwich. "Oh, right." He walked back to retrieve it.

Arthur assessed him for a moment. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Yes!" Merlin said, perhaps a little bit too enthusiastic to sound natural. "Everything's perfectly fine!"

"How's the first week back to classes going?"

"Great." Merlin nodded. "A little busy, but it's nothing I'm not used to. Well, I'll go talk to Gwen now if you don't mind. I mean, unless you have some assignment for me?"

Arthur stared at him for a little longer, and Merlin had to struggle not to let his distress show.

"You should organize the store room," Arthur sentenced.

Merlin whimpered. "But I already–"

"Do it again!" Arthur interrupted him.

Merlin snorted, rolling his eyes. "As you wish, Sire." He left the room bringing his snack with him.

Merlin said hello to Gwaine and Elyan and was about to get straight to the store room when he noticed Gwen staring at him, fumbling with her necklace.

"Is there anything you need, Gwen?" Merlin asked when he noticed something strange in the way her friend smiled and looked away.

"Oh no, everything's fine, I guess." She finished her sentence sounding rather uncertain, but shrugged and smiled again. "Actually... Are you in a hurry?"

"It depends on who’s asking?" Merlin joked. He approached his friend, leaning over the tabletop. "What’s happening?"

"Oh, it's no big deal," Gwen blushed. "I don't want to get you into trouble, if you're busy. We can talk–"

"She’s pregnant!" Gwaine shouted as he passed them quickly toward the door.

Gwen let out an outraged shriek as soon as she recovered from the shock of being so rudely interrupted. "Gwaine!"

"Pregnant?" Merlin exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Oh, wow! Er... Congratulations?"

"Thanks!" Gwen smiled shyly, looking down at her hands.

"This is good news, right?" Merlin asked uncertainly as Gwen raised her face again. "You’re happy? You and Lance?"

"Of course we are!" Gwen said, then twisted her hands together, seeming torn between feeling joyful and frightened. "I mean, it wasn't planned at all and I'd rather have waited some more, but... Oh my God, I'm going to be a mother!" She sounded shocked, reaching for Merlin's hand rather desperately.

"Hey, calm down, calm down!" Merlin squeezed his friend's hand in reassurance. "You're going to be a great mom, I'm sure of that," he said.

Gwen smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Merlin." She said, but then recoiled her hand as if it had been burned. "I think it best to let you go before I drop dead or something." She gestured with her head and Merlin turned to see Arthur staring at them, frowning.

"Oh, give me a break." Merlin rolled his eyes, but eventually moved away. "I'll be in the store room, in case you need anything."

Merlin sighed as he entered the closed room, smelling of mold and old paper. Unlike when Merlin had begun his internship, there were no more boxes scattered all over, stuffed drawers, or folders stacked on top of the filing cabinets; it was all neat, clean, and visually pleasing, just as Merlin had left the previous Friday, thinking it was his last day there in CRM division. What did Arthur expect him to do here?

Resigned to his fate, Merlin went to the nearest file, opening the drawers one by one to check if there were damaged folders, but he had already replaced the older ones, so there was nothing out of place. Merlin looked around, thinking. He noticed a solitary box in a corner and wondered if he could fit its contents into one of the empty drawers. Well, it wasn't like he had better things to do than trying.

Merlin put on his headphones and begun to work. Usually, he didn't mind doing that kind of dull service; he preferred to use his brain instead of his muscles, but there was something comforting about being able to let his mind wander, enjoying some music while working on autopilot. This Thursday, however, that freedom proved to be a curse, as Merlin's mind insisted on turning to obscure and dubious thoughts which he preferred not to encourage, if he could. After all, his relationship with Arthur was going very well lately; he didn't need to question Arthur’s every attitude.

Merlin was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he jumped with startle as he felt a large, heavy hand on his shoulder and turned around abruptly, pulling out the headphones. "Wh–Ah, Arthur!" Merlin breathed in relief. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"It's not my fault that you're deaf." Arthur reached for one of Merlin's earbuds, shaking it in front of him. "I don't even have to put this on to know that you’re listening to Imagine Dragons."

"What do you want?" Merlin reached into his pocket and paused the song, changing the subject so that he wouldn't have to admit Arthur was right.

"Is this the way you talk to your boyfriend?" Arthur said, moving closer and folding his arms in front of his chest, forcing Merlin to step back until he met the cabinet behind him. "I want to know what's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked suspiciously.

"There's something bothering you, and it's no use denying it," Arthur amended before Merlin could speak. "Come on, tell me what it is."

"Of course something's bothering me," Merlin said. "You are. How do you expect me to get this mess sorted out if you don't get out of my way?" He prepared to push him away, but Arthur grabbed his fists, bringing him closer still.

" _Mer_ lin!" Arthur said between gritted teeth.

" _Ar_ thur!" Merlin returned, exasperated. "I'm trying to do my job!"

"Merlin, we both know there's nothing left for you to sort out here."

"Then why did you– Oh." Merlin sagged, stopping to struggle to break free. "You planned to ambush me here."

"Of course I planned this, you left me no choice!" Arthur's hands loosened the grip on his fists, but he didn't let go, just stroked the inside of Merlin's wrists with his thumbs. His tone softened as he continued. "Merlin, I have no way of knowing what's wrong if you don't tell me."

"There's nothing wrong," Merlin insisted like a spoiled child, but Arthur wasn't so easily convinced.

"What's going on, then? Why didn't you look me in the eye when you said everything was fine? Why did you get all upset when I pressed you right now?"

"I'm not upset." Merlin averted his eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Merlin," Arthur insisted, finally leaning against him and thrusting his face into the curve of Merlin's neck. "You promised that you’d let me know when something was bothering you or when you were feeling insecure. I don't want to make the same mistakes, remember? Now stop being a stubborn clotpole."

“Hey, that's my word!”

“It suits you pretty well right now.”

Merlin was ready to deny his own stubbornness, but he realized just how childlike that would be, and held himself in check in time, letting the air out of his lungs. He should speak more openly about what he felt if he wanted it to work between the two of them; after all, many misunderstandings could have been avoided had he been more honest with Arthur rather than keeping his insecurities to himself. He pushed Arthur away to stare him in the face with determination. "Why haven't you talked to Alator yet?" He asked and his tone came out more aggressive than he intended.

Arthur frowned, looking hurt. "Are you this desperate to leave my division?"

"Of course not, Arthur!" Merlin sighed. "We've already talked about this and you agreed that it would be best to get everything set up with Alator as soon as possible! And don't start making excuses again, we both know you're not trying hard enough. So what if he was having lunch when you called or in a meeting; so what if he was busy at the time? You might as well have left a message with the operator so he could return as soon as possible, or so he would come here! You could have texted or emailed him if you really wanted to talk to him!"

"Wow, wow, slow down!" Arthur said, taking a step back. "Are you saying I'm deliberately delaying this?"

"Arthur, you're his boss, for God's sake! I doubt that he's avoiding talking to you, so it's probably the other way around! You agreed to send me to another division; you could at least be honest with me if you changed your mind."

"I have _not_ –" Arthur started, but he broke off, exhaling and running his hands over his face in frustration.

"Arthur," Merlin resumed, this time keeping the tone more sympathetic. "It's all right if you think you're not ready to tell your father, I told you I don't want you to rush into this coming out thing."

"It's nothing like that, Merlin!" Arthur said emphatically. Then he took a deep breath, as if coming to a resolution. "Alright, maybe I'm not trying hard enough, but it's not because I've changed my mind about telling my father, I just–" He let his shoulders fall, shaking his head. "This is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous?" Merlin frowned.

"I was so spoiled during your college break," Arthur continued, as if explaining something to himself. "I just had to wait an hour for you to arrive here and then I’d see you around the hole day; all I had to do was look out of my office and you’d be there; all I had to do was call out and you'd rush in. Now I have to wait all morning! I know it's only a few hours, but it seems like _forever_ ! And just thinking that I won't be able to see you _all day long_... And in the meantime you'll be there, with Alator and Isolde and–"

"Oh, Arthur," Merlin said, feeling all the frustration replaced by tenderness. "Come here." He took a step forward, hugging Arthur.

"I know it's stupid, but..."

"It really is stupid," Merlin said and laughed as Arthur let out an outraged cry, stepping back to face him. "I'm going to be right there, Arthur, I can call you on the way here, if you want, and starting next week you'll see me every morning at your place, and after hours, and all night long."

Arthur grunted impatiently and took a step forward, pressing him against the nearest cabinet. Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders automatically.

"I can't wait for it to happen," Arthur said and kissed him slowly and longingly.

Merlin didn't hear the storage room door open, but broke the kiss at the muffled sound of something falling on the carpeted floor. He looked over Arthur's shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw Sophia Feix standing in the doorway of the room with her hands over her mouth and a pile of folders lying on the floor at her feet.

"What's it?" Arthur turned his face as Merlin pushed him away, but it was too late. "Feix!"

"I–I was– I was going to–" The woman stuttered, then took a hesitant step back.

"Sophia," Arthur called, taking a step toward her, but she took another step backward before turning and fleeing. "Sophia, come back here!"

"Oh, my fucking _God_." Merlin ran a hand through his hair.

"Calm down, Merlin," Arthur said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't mean anything."

"Arthur, she saw us!"

"We don't know what she saw." Arthur tried to be rational. "Or what she _thinks_ she saw."

"Arthur, she saw us snogging!" Merlin insisted, his heart threatening to come out of his throat. "My arms around your neck? Your hands on my ass?"

"Shit!" Arthur bared his teeth as if snarling, punching the nearest drawer.

"What happened?" They heard Gwen's voice, peering out of the doorway. She looked at the pile of scattered files on the floor and at the two occupants of the room. "Why did Sophia run away? Oh, my God!" She exclaimed, probably realizing what had happened as she looked from one to the other.

"Where is she?" Arthur said approaching Gwen, his face red with anger or embarrassment – Merlin wasn't sure which.

"She headed straight out!"

"I'll be right back," Arthur said and fled, leaving a catatonic Merlin behind.

.M.

"Fuck!" The call dropped into the voicemail again and Arthur almost threw his phone on the wall in frustration. He loosened the knot of his tie instead, took a deep breath, and gave up waiting for the elevator, taking the stairs instead.

He found Gwaine coming out of the lift as soon as he reached the seventh floor.

"So?" Arthur asked.

Gwaine shook his head. "The receptionist said she ran away, talking on her phone."

"Fuck!" Arthur picked up his phone again and pressed the redial, walking back through the corridor towards his office.

"And how about you? Nothing yet?" Gwaine asked, following him.

"My father won't answer the damn phone," Arthur said, hanging up when the call went to the voicemail again. "His secretary said he left for Edinburgh this morning."

"Hey, maybe that's a good thing, isn't it?" Gwaine said hopefully. "At least it's less likely that he’ll come to know about it by others."

"Maybe," Arthur said, though he had his doubts. He knew from experience that his father had the tendency to sniff scandalous news from afar.

Arthur was about to open the door to CRM’s room when his phone rang. He scanned the display quickly and experienced a mixture of relief and disappointment when he saw it was just Morgana.

"Alator accepted," Arthur said as he answered, stepping aside so that Gwaine could enter the room. "Merlin can start tomorrow."

" _Great_ ," Morgana said in her best business tone. " _I'm arranging the paperwork this very minute. What about our father?_ "

"He won't answer." Arthur started pacing back and forth in the hallway. "He must be in a meeting. I already left two messages, but he hasn't returned yet."

" _Arthur, you know you–_ " Morgaine began, but Arthur interrupted her.

"Look, I know I screwed it up, alright? The last thing I need right now is for you to throw this in my face."

Morgana snorted. " _I was going to say, you know you can count on me, right?_ " She sounded wry.

Arthur exhaled, running a hand over his face."I'm sorry," he said, genuinely regretful. "And I know. Thank you, you're being very helpful."

" _How's Merlin holding up?_ " Morgan asked, worried.

"I'm not sure," Arthur admitted, pausing to peer through the small glass window at the door of the CRM room. Merlin was sitting at his desk, but Gwen and Elyan were rounding him, keeping Arthur from seeing his face. "Gwen's taking care of him, I guess."

" _Arthur!_ " Morgana reproached. " _It's you that he needs! Poor thing must be in a panic!_ "

"I know!" Arthur sounded frustrated. "I'll go talk to him now. Let me know if you have any news about Uther."

As soon as he hung up, Arthur heard a door open at his back and turned to see Cenred coming out of the Maintenance room, followed by Gili. Arthur clamped his jaw tightly, squeezing his phone.

"–really need someone to take a look at my computer right away," Cenred said.

"No problem," Gili said. "But you could have called, you didn't have to come all the way here."

"Oh, Pendragon!" Cenred said at noticing him, smirking. "I was about to remark that today is a quite pleasant day to take a walk, stretch one’s legs a little, I'm sure you'll agree with me, am I wrong?"

Arthur only gritted his teeth harder, narrowing his eyes at Cenred, who smiled even more. Gili seemed to have lost his ability to speak at the sight of him, but Arthur couldn't care less about the boy.

Cenred looked away from Arthur and motioned for Gili to move ahead towards the elevator. "After you, Mr. Buckley."

Arthur watched as they climbed into the elevator, holding Cenred's defiant gaze until the doors closed on the two of them. Only then did he close his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure.

"Hey, you still there?" Gwaine said joining him in the hallway again, putting his suit jacket on. "Listen, I know you've got a lot of things to worry about, so I took the liberty of checking your schedule. I'm going to the shoe industry now, if you do not mind."

"Shit," Arthur cursed, punching the wall. "I completely forgot about it."

"Don't worry. I've got this." Gwaine smiled, tossing his hair back as he took a few steps toward the elevator. "Oh, and there's something I think you should know."

"Let me guess," Arthur interrupted. "Everyone knows."

Gwaine shrugged. "Long story short, yeah, that's pretty much it." He adjusted the collar of his jacket. "Feix may be useless in many things, but the bitch certainly knows how to spread the word around."

Arthur grunted and turned his back on Gwaine, finally entering the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several people craning their necks over their partitions to peek at him, but Arthur only had eyes for Merlin, who stood up as soon as he saw who had just entered. Merlin's face was pale, his eyes wide and his expression uncertain.

Without uttering a word, Arthur determinedly strode toward him, forcing Gwen and Elyan to quickly move out of his way. Arthur walked past them and brought Merlin in a tight hug, pressing him against his chest, ignoring the cries of surprise around them.

"Arthur!" Merlin gasped in wonder.

"Shhh." Arthur kissed his temple. "It's okay," he assured Merlin, causing him to relax against him, burying his face in the curve of Arthur's neck. "It's going to be all right, baby, I promise."

Merlin clung to him a little desperately, and Arthur tried to convince himself that he was perfectly capable of keeping his promise.

.M.

"I can't believe it." Uther said for what seemed like the thousandth time, shaking his head from side to side.

Arthur pressed the bridge over his nose, praying for patience. Uther had returned from Edinburgh when Arthur was about to leave and called Arthur to his office to talk, but it had proven to be more of a monologue than an actual conversation, since Uther hadn't stopped pouring out his displeasure at him during the last half an hour.

"You've let me down several times, Arthur, but this time..." Uther shook his head again, walking around like a caged tiger. "This time you went too far. Did Morgana know about this? " He asked, but answered before Arthur had the chance. "Of course she knew, she always encouraged you to stand up against me. She must have been very pleased when she heard.” Uther paused to stare at him for a moment before resuming his pacing around, clearly dissatisfied. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me to find out about this from one of the company's investors I was meeting with?"

Arthur grunted, locking his jaw tightly to prevent himself from saying something he could regret later, causing his head to throb painfully again.

"And the worst of it is that I didn't believe him! My son, the director of the company I built out of nothing? He would never do such a thing, I told him, and he would never act so irresponsibly, let alone over my back! That's the kind of attitude I'd expect from your sister, but not from you."

"Father–" Arthur tried, but Uther interrupted him again.

"And you..." Uther stopped to face him, furious. "You don't even have the decency to look embarrassed for what you did!"

"I said I won't apologize for my relationship with Merlin!" Arthur snapped, raising his voice. He had held himself until now, but he could no longer try to be reasonable when his father didn't make the slightest effort to listen to what he had to say. "I admit that I was wrong not to transfer him from my division immediately, but–"

" _Relationship!_ " Uther scoffed. "With that... _brat_ , that ungrateful boy! That..." He made a gesture of contempt. "This is not a relationship, it's an embarrassment!"

"That's enough." Arthur got up, leaning over the table to face his father. "His name is Merlin. You'll call him by his name or you will _not_ refer to him at all."

"I'm not talking about Merlin," Uther scoffed. "I'm going to deal with Mr. Emrys later. I'm talking about you, Arthur! You embarrassed me before the whole company! You made me a laughing stock to my employees, to my clients and investors! You ruined all my plans! All because of a reckless adventure? Honestly, I thought you were past that stage already."

"How many times do I have to say this is _not an adventure_?" Arthur said, exasperated. "Father, listen to what I'm trying to say!"

Uther was back to pacing around his office, though, seeming too lost in thoughts to hear anything apart from his own musings. "I don't even know why I'm surprised; first you got involved with that Marketing girl against my advice, and then, predictably, when you got tired of her, she left the company to go to our competitor–"

"What?" Arthur was indignant. "Elena didn't leave the company because I got tired of her. _She_ left _me_ because she got a better job proposal!"

"–and then you had to go and get involved with the daughter of one of our biggest clients!" Uther continued, unmoved.

"And you gave me your blessing!"

"Of course I gave you my blessing." Uther turned to him again. "I thought you would marry Miss Nemeth! It would be great for our business, if you hadn't managed to ruin it either!"

Arthur gaped for a moment, stunned. "Mithian betrayed me with my building's concierge!" He finally stated.

"And let's not forget Olaf Woodson's daughter–"

Arthur stepped back, as if he had been punched. "Vivian?" he asked, incredulous. "Did you really just–"

"Olaf withdrew all his investments after you slept with his daughter!"

"I was _seventeen_!" Arthur defended himself. "She was twenty! If someone was taken advantage of, that someone was me!"

Uther stared at him again, his expression hardened. "You are my son and, as the heir of the company's president, I expected you to treat my employees with more respect and professionalism, especially when it comes to the daughter of one of our investors!"

Arthur sat down again, unable to believe what he was hearing. Was his father really accusing him of seducing Vivian?

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't be so disappointed," Uther continued. "You've always done everything to get to me. I shouldn't have let my guard down so much, thinking that you had finally matured. You'll be thirty years soon! When I was your age, I had already built a multinational business! When you became director, I thought you'd finally understood the true extent of the responsibility that comes of the position. I even convinced myself that you were ready to take over the company!" He sounded discontent with himself. "I had planned to retire by the end of the year and nominate you as my successor because I really believed that you were prepared to take on the burden, but I should have figured you would never learn how to keep your personal matters from interfering with business."

"That's rich coming from you," Arthur said bitterly, even though he knew he was stepping into dangerous ground. "The man who knocked up his secretary and had to pay her off to disappear."

It was Uther's turn to gape at him, shocked."How _dare_ you!"

Arthur knew he was probably stepping too far, but now that he had begun to speak his mind, he wouldn't stop until he had said it all. And this time his father would have to swallow his pride and listen.

"Do you know why I can't stop mixing my personal life with my work?" Arthur raised his voice. “Because I _don't have_ a personal life! I’ve being pretty much living for this job since I entered the business! I’ve been working my ass off in the last ten years and you know why? Because I hoped that one day you would acknowledge my efforts. I had hoped that one day you wouldn't look at me as a great disappointment but as someone who made every effort to continue the business that you had started out of nothing, even if I had to sacrifice my personal life for it! The only people I see regularly are those somehow connected to the company. How do you expect me to date someone completely unrelated to my work?"

"That's no excuse for what you did."

"I know it's no excuse, I'm not trying to justify my actions, because I don't have that many regrets. Yes, I made a mistake by keeping Merlin as my direct intern, but I don't regret anything else and I would do it all over again if I could. Do you want to know why? Because I finally realized nothing's ever going to be enough for you, no one can ever correspond to your expectations, not even Morgana, who's the most dedicated person to this company. I'm tired of running after your dreams, Father. This whole succession thing, this is _your dream_ , not mine."

"What?" Uther frowned. "You mean you don't..." He trailed off, looking horrified.

"Let me be clear," Arthur said as quietly as he could. "I don't want to become president of Pendragon Consulting, I never wanted to. If you had cared to ask me what I aspired to, you’d have known that from the very beginning! I know you didn't ask my opinion and probably’ll never bother, but I'll say it anyway: Morgana's far better qualified for the job than I’ll ever be! She knows how to deal with people better than me, she knows how to charm, she knows how to boost egos when she sees fit and to be cruelly sincere whenever necessary. In fact, she has been playing the role better than you for years now!"

Uther’s face had reddened dangerously at some point, though Arthur wasn't sure whether it was out of shame, outrage, or anger. Yet, Arthur continued pouring his heart out without letting himself be shaken by it.

"She represents the company at all events, sends out congratulatory cards on the stakeholders’ anniversary, she knows the names of their children and their dogs’ names even... But you never really acknowledged any of this because you're too worried about pointing out our failures."

Arthur took a deep breath to calm down, but took advantage of Uther's stunned silence to finish his speech.

"I respect you for everything you've accomplished and for everything that you've done for me and Morgana, I know it shouldn't have been easy for you to reconcile family and work, especially on your own, but you no longer have to carry this business on your shoulders all by yourself if you don't want to. And if that's what you really want to do, after all, at least don't blame it on me or Morgana, because we're not incompetent, and it's time for you to stop treating us like spoiled and irresponsible children. I'm not doing anything to intentionally provoke or humiliate you. I can't change the fact that you found out about Merlin in the worst possible way but the truth is that I have never been as happy with anyone as I am with him. I love Merlin and–"

" _What?_ " Uther collapsed in his chair, perplexed, seeming to finally get out of his stupor. "Are you listening to yourself?"

"–and I'd really like you to understand it," Arthur continued, raising his voice to be heard. "But I don't really need your approval to–"

"I can _not_ believe you're seriously considering carrying on with this! This... _boy_ is half your age!"

"Merlin's of age and has been through a lot in his life. He’s more mature than I was at his age."

"Oh, there's no question about that," Uther scoffed. "He certainly knows what he's doing, and you're still as suggestible as ever, letting him bewitch you like this." Uther raised his voice too.

Arthur wasn't intimidated, though, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at his father."Don't you dare to suggest that Merlin’s getting any advantages from our relationship, because he’s not. He didn't ask to get involved in my family drama, so don't blame it on him! I'm the one who dragged him into this and I'm the only one responsible for it. I knew the risks and, as you pointed out, I'm to be held responsible for it, so I'll face the consequences of my mistakes professionally, I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit, but if you do anything to Merlin…” Arthur stared determinedly at his father. " _Anything_ , I swear I'll never forgive you."

Arthur turned his back on his father and headed for the door.

"Arthur!" Uther called out after him, clearly angry. "Come back here! This conversation is not over!"

Arthur slammed the door behind him, pressing the elevator button hard and then leaned against the wall, hiding his face in the crook of his arm, trying to calm down. He could hear the roar of blood in his ears and felt every pounding of his heart reverberating in his rib cage. The sound of the elevator doors opening up startled him, and he ran his hands through his hair, breathing deeply as he entered. He pulled the phone out of his pocket as soon as the doors closed on him.

' _How did it go?_ ' Arthur read Merlin's message.

' _Can I drop by?_ ' He texted back and closed his eyes tightly as he waited for the answer.

.M.

Merlin finished going through the file and saved it, closing the document before he could have any second thoughts. He wasn't particularly pleased with the ending of his essay, but he wasn't in the mood to do better at the moment. He opened his email and attached the file, addressing it to his teacher and determinedly pressing the “send” button.

"Ready," Merlin said, turning to face Arthur.

Arthur was sprawled out on Merlin's narrow single bed, making it seem even narrower. He grunted something unintelligible, but made no move to take his arm from above his eyes. He was still wearing his suit's trousers and button down shirt, but he had tossed his tie on the floor. He hadn't moved a muscle since slumping there, urging Merlin to finish his assignment before they could talk.

"Hey," Merlin said, nudging him to move aside so that he could fit in the bed with him, as impossible as it seemed to be.

Arthur peeked under his arm. "Are you done?" He asked suspiciously.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "It was just some stupid essay, now move to the side."

Arthur moved closer to the wall and Merlin settled beside him, propping his head on one bent arm to face him. Arthur rubbed at his eyes, looking exhausted.

"So?" Merlin asked, as Arthur closed his eyes again, frowning. "How was it?"

"Nightmarish," Arthur admitted, his expression becoming even more somber. "I felt like I was twelve years old again."

Merlin stroked Arthur's chest over his fancy shirt for a moment, enjoying the softness of the fabric. He could only guess how much Arthur had paid for a shirt like that. "How did he react when you told him?" He pressed, trying not to sound as impatient to hear it as he felt.

Arthur let out a humorless laugh, finally opening his eyes to face him. "He already knew." He sounded bitter. "He learned from the investor that he was visiting in Edinburgh."

"What?" Merlin recoiled, shocked. “How?”

"How do you think?" Arthur returned, sarcastically, but Merlin merely stared back at him. "Cenred."

"Oh, bugger." Merlin felt his insides freezing.

"I knew that fucking snake was up to something, but I didn't expect him to play dirty like this."

"Oh my God, Arthur." Merlin sat up in bed, suddenly worried. "What did your father do?"

Uther wouldn't suspend his own son from the company, would he? Or worse, depose him of his position as director? Merlin would never forgive himself if he ruined Arthur's career like that.

"He didn't do anything," Arthur said, though the 'yet' was somehow implicit in his sentence. He shook his head, sounding bitter again. "He just yelled at me, treated me like an irresponsible brat, like I was doing all this just to get his attention or something. He accused me of purposely ruining his plans for my career, as if he had some clue of what I aspire in any matter."

"Wait," Merlin said, fearing what that might mean. "Ruining what plans, exactly?"

"Apparently, he intended me to take over as president by the end of the year, when he retired."

"What do you mean, he _intended_ you to?"

Arthur stared at him for a moment before answering. "The point is that this is what _he_ wanted. He never asked me if I’d like to take his place."

"And you don't want to?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Merlin..." Arthur puffed noisily before he also sat on the bed. "It's been a year since I took over the direction and, believe me, I'm right where I intended to be. I love what I do. I like being able to have the initial contact with customers and show them what we're capable of doing. President's job is basically a political position. All my father has to do is lick some boots and give the last word on the strategic decisions taken by others, talk about the company publicly and so on. I don't like doing any of it, Merlin. I like to feel like I'm actually doing something, being helpful, inspiring people to do their best for the company. This is what I like and that's why I wanted to be a director, not because of my father's expectations on me. Besides, Morgana has been on the head of business for almost five years now, she's the one who answers for the company in my father's absence, so it's only natural that she's his successor, not me!"

Arthur had made that speech so passionately that Merlin merely nodded fiercely, still astonished. Also deeply proud. Merlin knew that Arthur had a strong sense of justice, but he couldn't help but feel proud of him every time he demonstrated it with such conviction, as he was doing at this very moment.

"Only my dad can't see it," Arthur continued, sounding regretful. "He can't understand that Morgana and I are no longer children, he thinks everything we do is a deliberate attack to him, as if Morgana and I spent our whole lives plotting how best to disappoint him! He threw a lot of accusations on my face, things about my personal life. He made a point of digging up things about my past, even about Vivian, for God's sake! He said that I didn't know how to separate my private life from work, as if he were an example of conduct himself, when it comes to this. Just because now he's got a girlfriend who has no relation to work, he thinks everyone should do the same!"

"Who’s Vivian?" Merlin asked before he could stop himself.

"What?" Arthur stared at him, looking lost for a moment.

"You said something about someone called Vivian," Merlin said slowly. "I don't remember you ever mentioning any Vivian."

Arthur ran his hands through his hair and snorted, flopping back on the mattress. "Vivian Woodson, daughter of one of the company's former investors, she was an intern at the time we… had a thing."

"What?" Merlin squealed. "You dated an intern before me?"

"Would you let me finish?" Arthur shouted out, visibly annoyed. "I was seventeen years old and I hadn't even started college yet! I went to the office to see my father after football practice and _she hitted on me_!"

"Alright, alright." Merlin said, spreading his hands in surrender. "Calm down!"

Arthur pressed the bridge over his nose, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said, his tone softening again. "In my defense, I didn't know she was the daughter of one of our investors. She was older than me, beautiful, persistent..."

"You slept with her," Merlin finished for him, feeling sad as he remembered the significant age difference between them and how different their relationship experiences had been so far.

"She took me to her flat and her father showed up without notice." Arthur shook his head. "He was out of his mind with anger, he acted as if I had perverted his daughter or something."

Merlin frowned. "But you were a minor!"

"Exactly!" Arthur nodded emphatically. “I mean, I should’ve been a role model at that age, but you're nothing but a kid to him.” Arthur ran his hand over his face and Merlin was about to ask what exactly Uther had said when Arthur spoke again. "Olaf Woodson withdrew all his investments in the company and of course I was to blame. I never saw Vivian after that and I didn't even want to see her. Merlin, she meant nothing to me, I–"

"I know." Merlin interrupted him, lying down again, this time resting his head on Arthur's shoulder. "It's not like you need to tell me about everyone you've hooked up with." He sounded more hurt than he intended to let on.

Arthur hugged him, kissing the top of his head. "You must have been about six or seven at the time," He said in amazement. "Jesus, this sounds so..."

"Twisted, I know," Merlin admitted uneasily.

They were silent for some time. Merlin bit his lower lip nervously, wondering if he should ask what he really wanted to know, but the truth was he was afraid of the answer. "What do you think he's going to do?" He asked instead.

"I’ve absolutely no idea," Arthur admitted, hugging him tighter. "I'm afraid he didn't take me quite seriously, and I regret some things that I said to him, but I really hope he thinks twice before doing something because I swear I'll never forgive him if he punishes you in any way–"

"Arthur," Merlin tried to be reasonable, though he feared the consequences for himself as well as for Arthur. "Don't say such a thing. He's your father, he's probably just trying to do what he thinks is right."

"So what? It doesn't give him the right to be a hypocritical tyrant."

Merlin was silent for some time, weighing the words before finally saying them. "Perhaps…” He cleared his throat and started again. “Perhaps it's better if we wait a little longer before I move in to–"

"Stop right there," Arthur said decisively, holding him by the chin so that they could face each other. "You’ll be moving in with me tomorrow, no matter what, do I make myself clear? I mean, unless... Unless you've changed your mind," he finished, frowning.

"No!" Merlin's eyes widened. "No, I want to move in with you. I just don't want to make things worse with your father. I mean, maybe we should give him some time to get used to this situation..." he trailed off before Arthur's insistent head shake.

Arthur gripped his chin harder. "I don't give a fuck about what my father thinks, Merlin, it has nothing to do with him, I need you, do you understand?"

Merlin nodded fiercely and Arthur brought him in for a kiss, his hand now on the back of his neck, holding it firmly in place.

"Listen closely to what I'm going to say," Arthur said as he broke the kiss. "Tomorrow you'll go straight to Alator’s office. I’ll ask someone to pick up your things and send them down early in the morning. Pay no attention to what anyone may say, whoever it may be. If my father calls you or sends for you, call me right away or send me a text and I'll be there in a second, alright?"

Merlin nodded again, his eyes wide, but Arthur didn't seem pleased with his reaction, shaking him again. "Merlin, I need you to understand that this has nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong. This is between my father and I. Can you understand that?"

"But I'm not exactly innocent in this whole story, am I?" Merlin said what he had in mind for all this time, feeling his throat close and tears welling in his eyes. "I knew I was putting both of us at risk and I still insisted that you–"

"Don't be fucking ridiculous, Merlin!" Arthur was indignant. "You suggested changing divisions from the beginning and I didn't even want to hear about it! If I had just listened to you–"

"It wouldn't make much of a difference," Merlin interrupted. "Your father would hate me anyway."

" _Mer_ lin!" Arthur pressed him to his chest with such force that Merlin almost choked for a moment, his body convulsing in a sob. "Jesus Christ, Merlin, don't do this to me."

Merlin closed his eyes tightly, allowing the tears to come, not caring about soaking Arthur's expensive shirt. He was aware that Arthur was trying to comfort him – which was ironic, for it was Merlin who should be comforting him, not the other way around – but he couldn't really catch what he was mumbling into the top of his head. He felt Arthur's fingers in his hair as the sobs calmed, but he kept his eyes closed.

When he awoke at dawn, he was alone in bed.

.Merlin.

Merlin removed the headphones and adjusted the backpack on his shoulders, looking up to face the Pendragon Consulting building. He remembered his first day of internship, his apprehension for the unknown. That seemed to have happened ages ago, but it had been just earlier this year. As it had happened on that first day, Morgana had sent him a message that morning. Different from that day, she begged him to come into her room immediately, as soon as he arrived.

Merlin hadn't mentioned it to Arthur when they talked that morning nor a few minutes ago, on his way to the subway station. Arthur had mentioned that Sophia hadn't showed up to work that morning, calling in sick. He had also urged Merlin to go straight to Development’s Division on the third floor, where his belongings were already waiting for him, so Merlin imagined that Arthur didn't know about Morgana's message.

Taking a deep breath to regain his courage, Merlin entered the building, greeting the receptionist as he passed her. The elevator door opened just when he was about to call for it, letting out a few employees Merlin knew were from Marketing Division. One of them held the door open for Merlin to come in and he thanked her before pressing the button to the fourth floor.

Elyan's desk in HR was empty, since he was now collaborating with CRM Division. Merlin moved into Morgana’s room feeling the apprehension grow with each step. Morgana's sad smile at spotting him through the glass only made his stomach sink further, already knowing what was to come.

"Hey," Merlin greeted, forcing a friendly but sad smile.

"Sit down, Merlin," Morgana said, pointing to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Merlin avoided staring at her as he took off his backpack to sit down. He sighed as he looked up, then. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Merlin..." Morgana said in dismay. "I wish I could to do something to prevent this, but there’s a very explicit clause in your contract that ensures the employee the right to terminate your internship at any time, with no need for a justification."

"It's alright, Morgana," Merlin assured her, though it wasn't alright at all. "I know it's nothing personal, at least not on _your_ part," he added sarcastically, then regretted it right away as Morgana's expression hardened some more. "Look... I understand, and I don't blame you for this. Just... Tell me where to sign."

Morgana seemed about to argue, but she stopped herself, straightening up her spine. "Alright, let's do this," she said, picking up a file on top of her desk and explaining the bureaucracies of the demission. When Merlin finished signing the last paper and accepted Morgana's check, they stared at each other for a moment, speechless.

"Is Arthur going to respond for this in any way?" Merlin finally asked.

"He's going to endure a verbal reprimand for violating some of the company's code of conduct clauses," Morgaine replied, and Merlin's apprehension must have showed, for she quickly amended, "But there’ll be no real consequence for him, there's no need to be concerned. He has a flawless record so far and it's not like it's a serious offense, anyway. He won't be suspended or anything."

“Oh God,” Merlin groaned.

Morgana reached out, holding one of his hands across the table. "Merlin, he's going to be fine. Don't worry about him. It's your career that you have to worry about now."

"Oh." Merlin averted her eyes. "Actually, I have a Plan B. After all, it's not like I didn't know it could happen at any moment."

"Merlin, I really wish I could have something practical to offer you at the moment, but I can't promise you anything. Not yet, anyway, but I want you to know that I'm doing my best to–"

"Morgana," Merlin interrupted her, getting up and picking up his backpack. "Don't bother. Let's just move on and forget about all of this. It’ll be best for everyone."

Morgana rose, too, still looking uncertain. "Are you going to try and get another internship?" she asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I was thinking about looking for an actual job. Gaius said he would take me back on the evening shift at the apothecary, now that my friend Will’s covering the afternoon, but it would be a temporary thing. I’ll be watching out for something in economics."

"But what about college?"

"I'd probably have to drop a few classes," Merlin admitted. "But I can still try to get a deal with my tutors during the term, hand in some extra assignments, maybe." He sighed. "I don't know. I'll find a way."

He sincerely doubted he’d be able to get even more special arrangements with his tutors than he already had, but he was willing to try for a steady job, even if it meant it’d take him a few more years to finish college. He couldn't let his mother go back to the third shift.

"Do you want me to hand you a letter of recommendation?" Morgana offered. "I can arrange it in a moment, I'll personally sign it even."

"No, it won't be necessary," Merlin declined, worried that it’d put her in a delicate position with her father. He had already caused enough damage for her brother, there was no need to drag her into it either. "But thank you, anyway."

"Oh, Merlin..." Morgana circled the table to embrace him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "We’ll miss you around here."

Merlin hugged her back, deeply touched.

“I’ll miss you too,” Merlin admitted, only then realizing how much it was true. Not only because of her, but also because of all the friends he had made there.

.M.

"Yes, I understand," Arthur told the customer on the other end of the line, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he felt it vibrate with an income. "I'm going to pass on your observations to the Development division, and don't worry about the deadline, I'm sure there'll be no need to postpone it just because of this," he assured and bid farewell to her, frowning at the text on his phone.

Instead of answering his two previous messages, Merlin had sent the following text: ' _Call me as soon as you can. On my cell phone._ '

Arthur pressed the dial button immediately. "Where are you?" He asked, frowning at hearing the background noise when Merlin answered.

" _I'm on the subway_."

"What?" Arthur asked, pressing his finger against the other ear to better make out his words. "The connection's bad. Do you want me to call your extension? You have an extension already, don't you?"

" _Arthur, I'm not in the building. I'm going home_."

"What?" Arthur consulted the hours – it was only half past two o'clock in the afternoon – and then slumped back against the chair's backrest. "Why?"

The possibilities crossed his mind one after the other: Merlin being barred at the entrance of the building; Merlin being publicly humiliated by Cenred; Merlin being forced to resign. His father couldn't have done any of this, could he?

" _Arthur, listen to me._ " Merlin said, ignoring his previous question. " _We'll talk about it later. I'll be home, finishing packing my bags, okay?_ "

" _Mer_ lin–" Arthur said through clenched teeth, but Merlin continued to speak, apparently not having listened.

" _I'm sorry, I should have stopped by your office to say goodbye to everyone, but... I just couldn't handle it right now."_ He sniffed, his voice faltering for a moment. _"Look, can you go get my stuff at Alator's office later? And please tell him that I’m really grateful for everything that he's done for me_."

"Merlin, shut up and _listen_ –"

" _I'm sorry, Arthur, I can't– I'm sorry._ " He hung up before Arthur could say another word.

Arthur stared at his phone for a moment, stunned, before looking around feeling rather lost. He saw Morgana enter the division room holding a file against her chest, a somber and uncertain expression on her face. Arthur clenched his jaw, closing his fists tightly.

Arthur got up, put on his coat, and took the car keys, intending to leave before his sister had the chance reach his office. They met at the glass door.

"Arthur, I–" Morgana started to say, but Arthur pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You said I could count on you," Arthur said, sounding as hurt as he felt, then turned his back to Morgana, looking at his secretary. "If someone calls me, just patch them through to Leon. I'll be on my phone in case it's something urgent.

"Arthur!" He heard Morgana calling for him as he walked away, but didn't bother to stop.

"Don't worry, Morgana, I'll work overtime on Monday to compensate for today." He spoke roughly over his shoulder and left.

.Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ _Imagine Dragons – Shots._
> 
>  **Warning:** mention of past relationship involving a minor.
> 
>  **A.N.:** The end is near now. Next chapter’ll be the last one, and then there’ll be an epilogue and… yep, that's it.
> 
>  **E.N.:** Ahhh I'm so saaaaad. Amy, why does it have to end?? :,(


	28. Part 3 - Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A.N.:** Last chapter! Oh boy T.T

**Chapter 27**

 

**3 weeks later**

"So?"

Merlin startled at Will's voice and cursed as he nearly knocked over the stack of green tea boxes he was carrying. "I thought you were already gone," he said, continuing his task of replenishing the shelf.

"Is that why you came in a few minutes late, then?" Will asked, folding his arms. "So you could avoid meeting with me?"

"Of course not," Merlin grumbled, careful not to look his friend in the eye. "The interview lasted longer than I expected, that's all."

In fact, the job interview hadn't last for more than five minutes - that was what it usually took for people to realize that his internship at Pendragon Consulting had been interrupted earlier than expected, with no justification on the company's part. When asked about it, Merlin said he had already fulfilled the amount of hours required by the college and had asked to leave so that he could get an actual job, even though he knew no one buyed it. People didn't usually give up an internship at Pendragon this easily. Merlin had only been late to work because he had decided to apply for other companies vacancies, even if they weren't exactly in his targeted area.

"So, how did it go?" Will insisted, sounding suspicious.

"They said they'll give me a call by the end of next week," Merlin lied.

Will snorted, unconvinced. "You know, the least your stupid boyfriend could do was give you a letter of recommendation."

"Will," Merlin breathed out, tired, but was promptly cut off.

"And don't even start making excuses for him, no one hires anyone without a recommendation letter these days, specially in your case! Do you think I don't know how these things work?"

Merlin only grunted in reply, aware that there was no point in arguing when Will began to speak his mind about Arthur. Merlin had to remind himself that his friend's intentions were good, that he was only doing this because he thought Merlin wasn't in his right mind when it came to Arthur - and maybe he was right after all, but that didn't make it less unfair. Will should have more faith in his judgment, to begin with. And alright, maybe things between Arthur and him weren't exactly great at the moment, but that didn't give him the right to-

"Merlin!"

“Shit,” Merlin was startled again by Gaius's call, turning to stare at him with wide eyes.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't damage the tea boxes. You’ll have to sell them later."

Merlin sighed, staring at the packages he'd practically punched on the shelf.

"Sorry, Gaius," he said, pulling out the boxes to arrange them back smoothly.

"And how about you?" Gaius turned his terrifying eyebrow at Will next. "What are you still doing here? Can't you see you're disturbing my employee's concentration?"

"I'm on my way out!" Will said, though he didn't move any muscle toward the door. "Concentration," he scoffed as Gaius walked back toward the counter. "Who needs concentration to work here?"

"I need it," Merlin said, finally facing his friend. "Will, go home, I promise I'll come earlier tomorrow so we can talk, okay? I'm not really up for it today."

"Nice try," Will said and Merlin rolled his eyes, going back to work and trying not to take out his frustration on the innocent tea boxes. "The point is, you haven't been up for anything in the last  _ three weeks _ . Merlin, you're a fucking genius! You probably don't even use a fucking brain cell to do work in here. I'm sorry if I can't stand and watch while you waste your potential. It's bad enough that you had to screw up your chances at Pendragon, now you go and-"

"Will,  _ please _ ," Merlin groaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration before getting to his feet, standing in front of his friend and resting his hands on his shoulders. "It's going to be alright, okay? I promise I won't settle down here, I'm doing what I can to get job-"

"Yeah, sure, except you're not," Will interrupted him, shaking his head stubbornly and Merlin whimpered, slumping in defeat. "Merlin, you have to admit that you need help! You said Morgana Pendragon was decent and honest with you. Why don't you go up there and ask her for a fucking letter of recommendation? I bet she’d even offer to call any of these companies that interviewed you to vouch for your performance, if only you cared to  _ ask _ !"

"Alright, alright!" Merlin conceded, raising his voice. "I promise I'll ask her, okay?"

"Tomorrow?" Will insisted, and Merlin had to mentally list all the reasons why it wouldn't be wise to punch him at that moment.

"Fine. Tomorrow. Are you happy now?"

"Ask me again tomorrow," Will sneered, but nodded before turning his back on him. The doorbell jingled merrily as he left the store.

Merlin shook his head and turned back to the shelf he was stocking.

"He's right, you know?" Gaius approached him. "I'm sure Morgana wouldn't mind helping."

Merlin closed his eyes tightly for a moment before glaring at him. "I know." He exhaled, shaking his head. "The truth is she offered me a recommendation letter, but I refused it. It was stupid, I know," he added, at his godfather's reproachful gaze. "I just didn't want to get her in trouble with her father because of me."

"I don't think she'd get in trouble over it." Gaius frowned. "She answers for the company's Human Resources department, she may well attest to your performance without her father's permission to do so."

"Why didn't she offer me a signed letter of recommendation then, instead of asking if I wanted one?" Merlin finally put into words what had been bothering him all those weeks long. "I mean, if it was really that easy, why didn't she do it at once? Now she and Arthur are no longer on speaking terms and-"

"Morgana and Arthur aren't talking?" Gaius was surprised.

"Yeah, well," Merlin scratched his head. "Arthur blames Morgana for kicking me out, but... I don’t know, it's complicated," he summed up as the doorbell rang again, indicating that someone had arrived.

"I'll take care of this one," Gaius said, patting his godson's shoulder before moving away.

Merlin returned to his mechanical task while reflecting on everything that had happened over the past three weeks. Ironically, since moving into Arthur's apartment, it seemed like he and Arthur had been driven farther apart. They barely met each other during the week. In the morning, Arthur left early to run, and not long after he returned, Merlin would go off to college. In the afternoon, Merlin spent all his spare time either doing his homework or finding a job. Soon after Arthur arrived from work, Merlin had to leave for the evening shift at the Apothecary. When he got home again, he was too exhausted to make any attempt at conversation, and both he and Arthur were content to spend the remainder of their energy in bed before falling asleep. Not that the sex was unsatisfactory, but Arthur looked different; his movements seemed less passionate and his touches felt somewhat hesitant. Whenever they tried to talk it through, they ended up arguing, and Merlin never thought he could be so hurt by the most insignificant things.

During the last few days, Merlin had started to go to college before Arthur came back from the his morning run and didn't bother to wait until he got home from Pendragon Consulting before leaving to work. On weekends, when they didn't have any excuses to avoid each other, they tried to pretend that there was nothing wrong, even if they thought twice about saying anything at all, so that they wouldn't risk running into an unsafe topic and ended up talk about the TV programming, mostly. At such times, even sex seemed mechanical and impersonal, something to be ticked out of their to-do list before sleep so that they could wait for the next day to come, when it would start all over again.

Merlin was seriously thinking of going back to his mother's house and would have already done so if Hunith hadn't stuffed his old room with her sewing tools the very first week after he moved out.

The Apothecary was quite busy that night, and Merlin was grateful for the opportunity to get his mind off of his own troubles for a while. At ten-fifteen, he said goodbye to Gaius and left the shop. He stopped short when he saw Arthur's Maserati parked in front of the accounting office next door, with the roof up. Confused, Merlin checked his phone for any message from Arthur justifying his showing up, but there was absolutely no income. As he stared at the car trying to figure out what had happened, he watched the headlights flash. He shook his head then, shoving his hands in his pocket and crossing the street towards the vehicle.

"Did something happen?" Merlin asked as he got into the car.

"Nothing." Arthur shrugged. "I had nothing to do, I thought I'd come pick you up," he started the car. "Buckle up."

Merlin blinked, still a little lost, but eventually complied. They were silent for a while before Merlin tired of hearing his own thoughts and turned on the radio, staring at the traffic through the side window. When Arthur parked the car in his building's garage and turned the engine down, Merlin unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to step out when Arthur grabbed his wrist.

"Hold on," Arthur said, and Merlin stared at him questioningly. Arthur had a deep frown on his forehead, his expression gloomy. "We need to talk."

Merlin sagged back against the backrest, letting out the air slowly. "Okay," he said at last, and Arthur released his grip on him.

They were silent for some time before Arthur finally said something. "What do I have to do for you to stop working for Gaius?" he asked.

Merlin wondered if he had heard it correctly. "What did you say?"

"I said, what do you want me to do to get you out of this stupid job?" Arthur repeated, keeping his eyes fixed in some point ahead. "You know you don't need to do this, don't you? You know money is not a problem for me. I know you want to continue to help your mother financially, but I can help you with that as well."

"You're not serious, are you?" Merlin asked, unbelieving.

"Of course I am!" Arthur stared at him determinedly. "Fuck, Merlin, this is getting ridiculous! You’re working yourself to the bone because of fucking peanuts. It's not like Gaius needs help, he's clearly only doing this out of pity, so why don't you stop being stubborn and let me take care of things for you?"

" _ I _ am the fucking stubborn?" Merlin exploded, indignant. “I honestly thought you understood my motives, Arthur. I won't be kept by you nor by any other! I'm not looking for a sugar daddy and I'm definitely not going to accept being a trophy wife or something. I always took care of myself, why would I-"

"Alright, great, you've already proven you can fend for yourself, alright? No one's doubting that! Now use your fucking brain for a change."

Merlin was stunned out of words for a moment, and Arthur averted his eyes, the muscles of his jaw jumping as he gritted his teeth.

"I don't see you anymore," Arthur said in a softer tone, then let out a humorless laugh. "It's ironic to be honest. We saw each other a lot more when we didn't live together."

"Arthur," Merlin began, taking a deep breath to keep calm as his heart still hammered wild with hurt. "We saw each other more because we worked together. It's one thing that you paid for our dinners, drinks and tickets so far. I even agreed to move in with you without contributing financially because… well, because it would be stupid to insist on paying when, as you said it yourself, money is not a problem for you.” Merlin scoffed. "But don't think this is easy for me, because it's definitely not. I don't like being kept, okay?"

"Fine, consider this as a loan, if you will. It’d be something temporary, until you get yourself a real job and-"

"You know what, maybe it would be better if I went back to my mother's for a while," Merlin said before he could stop himself.

Arthur stared back at him, his eyes wide. "No." He shook his head vehemently. "No. Absolutely not."

"Arthur, listen-"

"No, Merlin, that's completely out of question! You're not moving, period!"

That made Merlin clench his fists, his nostrils flaring. "If you still haven't noticed, I'm not your subordinate anymore," he snapped grumpily. "You can't order me around!" he opened the car door and stepped out.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, but Merlin slammed the door and ran to the stairs before Arthur could stop him.

Arthur didn't go after him, though. When Merlin woke up in the middle of the night, he was still alone in bed.

.Merlin.

"Mum?" Merlin called as he entered his mother's apartment. Hunith insisted that he keep his own keys to an emergency and Merlin had seen no reason not to.

"Merlin?" Hunith peered from the kitchen door, wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled at him. "What a great surprise! Come here, give me a kiss."

Merlin kissed his mother's face and followed her into the kitchen, leaving his backpack on one of the chairs by the table. "Hmmm, it smells good in here."

"I'm making spaghetti and meatballs, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I mean, I think there's enough for both of us, but-"

"Don't bother, mum, I'm just-"

"Oh, don't be silly." Hunith cut him off. "Get two plates in the cabinet, now. Come on."

Merlin rolled his eyes but obeyed, knowing it would be pointless to argue. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't starving, having gone straight there from college. Also, he had to admit that he missed his mother's food terribly.

"Is it good?" Hunith asked, when Merlin had nearly finished his plate in a couple of forkfuls.

He lifted his head to find a smug smile on his mother's face. "It's divine," he admitted, rolling more pasta into his fork. "How do you know when the pasta’s ready? I tried to make spaghetti the other day, but I think I overcook it, it got too soft and sticky."

"Oh, you've been cooking?" Hunith marveled.

Merlin shrugged. "I don't have that many things to fill in my afternoons besides studying, lately." He tried not to sound as bitter as he felt, but failed. He kept his eyes down on his plate, even though he could practically feel his mother's searching look.

"The trick’s to turn off the fire just before the pasta gets cooked all the way," Hunith said at last. "When it's still a little stiff, so that it can finish cooking when you throw in the hot tomato sauce."

Merlin considered it for a moment. "Makes sense, I guess."

"What else have you cooked?"

"Oh, nothing too complicated," Merlin said evasively.

"And what does Arthur think of these culinary adventures of yours?"

"Erm..." Merlin took his time chewing his mouthful of spaghetti so that he could think of a safe answer. "He doesn't complain, which is a good sign, I think."

Hunith asked about his job prospects of late and about how was college going and Merlin was glad for the change of topic, even if he had to think twice before saying something that might make her worry too much.

"And how are things going around here?" Merlin asked in return.

"Great, actually." Hunith sounded excited. "I've been having a lot of sewing to do lately."

"Oh, really?" Merlin exclaimed, surprised by his mother's enthusiasm. And maybe a little disappointed too, if he were to be honest with himself. He had hoped his mother would complain about the quietness of living alone or tell him how much she missed having him around.

"It started when I offered to do some repair on Matthew's clothes," Hunith explained. "God knows how sloppy he’s been lately, only he insisted on paying for it, and he even sent some uniforms from the diner staff to adjust, and then Mrs. Holden asked me to repair her curtains. The downstairs neighbor came knocking then with a bag of clothes. Next thing I knew, I had enough to keep me busy for two months!"

"Oh, that's... good, I guess."

"Actually, I was thinking about calling you and Arthur for lunch on Saturday to celebrate!"

"Saturday?" Merlin asked, averting his eyes. "I’ll need to talk to Arthur first, I'm not sure he'll be available this weekend," he said, but Hunith was far from being fooled.

"What's going on, dear?" she asked worriedly. "And I know there's something going on between the two of you, don't even try to dismiss it."

Merlin sighed and dropped his fork, wiping his mouth on a napkin. He glanced at his watch. "It's nothing for you to be concerned about. I don't want you to be late for work because of me." He reached for his backpack. "Actually, I just came to leave my share of the rent and-"

"Merlin." Hunith caught his hand, stopping him. "Haven't you heard what I said, things are getting better for me, I don't need your money anymore."

"But, mum!" Merlin moaned. "I don't want you to break your neck trying to cover all the bills when-"

"I'm not breaking anything," Hunith interrupted him. "I didn't make any compromises I can't deliver, I'm doing the repairs in my own pace, and it's not like I don't like to sew, anyway, so it's good to have something to occupy myself now that I'm alone here.” She sighed. "I meant to tell you this on Saturday, but since you brought this up now...  I got a promotion!"

"What? Really?" Merlin shouted in surprise. "That's great news, mum! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I got the news earlier this week." Hunith's smile became regretful. "But I was hoping you'd have good news yourself until Saturday."

"Oh, mum..." Merlin got up and hugged her. "I'm happy for you."

"I know, sweetheart, I know." She patted his back before pulling away, staring into his eyes. "Now sit down and tell me what's going on. And don't worry, I don't have to go back to the Supermarket in another half hour."

Merlin took a deep breath. "Actually, I was wondering if I could... move back?" Merlin grimaced at his mother's astonished face.

"What? Why?"

Merlin exhaled, tired. "I don't know... It seems that after I've moved in with Arthur things are only getting worse between us! We barely see each other and when we try to talk, we end up fighting over the stupidest things. Maybe it's better if we take a few steps backwards and start from scratch again-"

"And what does Arthur have to say about it?"

"He wouldn't even listen to what I had to say." Merlin rolled his eyes. "He practically forbade me to even think about it."

"I'm glad he did it, because otherwise I'd have to say it myself!" Hunith spoke, and Merlin gaped at her. "I'm sorry, Merlin, I really miss you, but I can't allow you to give up on this so soon!"

"But, mum!"

"No “but”s," Hunith chided. "Maybe you guys really rushed into this, maybe the timing was not ideal, but that doesn't mean backing up is the best course of action! Listen, my dear," her voice softened a bit as she carried on, "your place is next to him now, I saw how much he needs you, how much you need him, you are like two sides of the same coin."

Merlin lowered his eyes to his own hands, feeling his face flush with shame and regret.

"Living together is not easy for any couple," Hunith continued, "especially at the beginning, but it will get easier with time, you'll see. It's not right to give up right on the first sign of trouble, you have to try and fix whatever is causing these disagreements between the two of you."

"I know you're probably right," Merlin conceded, aware that his mother had far more experience in it than he did, "but the truth is I'm not sure I know what this is all about."

"Oh, I can take a guess." She pressed her lips together for a moment, then ended up sighing again. "Merlin, sometimes when we feel guilty, we tend to find someone or something to blame."

Merlin frowned, confused.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Arthur isn't in good terms with his sister yet, is he?"

"No, but-"

"Look." Hunith came closer to him. "I know you feel guilty about it. They seemed to get along just fine before all this, am I wrong?"

Merlin simply lowered his eyes, unable to answer.

"Don't get me wrong, my dear, I don't think you're to blame, but I'd probably feel guilty in your place either."

"It's just... Arthur has only his sister and father and now he's not talking to either of them, and all because of me!" Merlin admitted, blinking the tears away. "I know it's silly, but..."

"It's no silly thing," Hunith assured him firmly. "You're my only family, and I can't even dream how awful it’d be if you didn't want to talk to me anymore, I know how difficult it must be for you. I know you don't blame Arthur for what happened either, but he probably can't stop feeling guilty just like you. Truth be told, he  _ was _ the reason for your premature departure from the company, as much as he didn't mean it to happen like this. All this guilt makes you both bitter and you often end up saying things to each other that you don't really mean to say.”

"But I don't hold him responsible for any of it!" Merlin said, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "I'm as guilty as he was about what happened, what can I do to make him understand that?"

"First of all, you need to forgive yourself," Hunith said sweetly, handing her son a paper napkin so that he could blow his nose. "Only then you'll be able to convince him that no one's blaming him but himself."

Merlin nodded slowly, squeezing his mother's hand before releasing it and picking up his backpack. Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do. "Well, thanks for lunch, but I have to go now."

He said goodbye to his mother with the promise that he would talk to Arthur about lunch over the weekend. As soon as he stepped out of the building, he picked up his phone with his mind set on calling Morgana. He had promised Will that he’d talk to her, so perhaps he could use the opportunity to try to clear up some misunderstandings. To his surprise, though, he found that he had received a text from Morgana herself.

' _ Can you make it to the office building at 3:00 pm today? Please, it's important. _ '

‘ _ I'll be there, _ ’ Merlin replied quickly and headed for the subway.

.M.

Merlin stood for some time in front of the building, partly because he had arrived early, coming straight from his mother's house, and partly because he was trying to understand what was going on. In the fifteen minutes he'd been watching, he'd counted at least fifteen people coming into the building - people Merlin was sure he'd never seen there, mostly young and all dressed up.

Merlin glanced at his watch once more, and rearranged the backpack on his shoulder, moving decisively toward the door. As soon as he entered, he saw the receptionist showing the way to the lift to the visitors. He cautiously approached her. "Hullo, Nelly."

"Merlin!" The woman exclaimed, smiling. "Miss Pendragon said you’d come, but I confess I had my doubts."

"Is Morgana waiting for me?"

"She asked you to wait on the first floor, along with the others."

Merlin was about to ask her to repeat what she'd said when he realized that Nelly was already talking to two girls who had arrived after him. Merlin gave up asking for an explanation and headed for the stairs to avoid the crowded elevator hall.

The hallway on the first floor was quite busy, and a peek inside the auditorium was enough for Merlin to notice that there were several people sitting in the stands, mostly in their twenties or thirties, but there were a few older ones as well. Merlin had only entered that room once, to attend an event that HR staff had organized a couple of months ago to reward the employees who had stood out over the first semester. Merlin recognized some of the people on the stage in front of the stands as some of Morgana's staff, but they were too engrossed in their work to notice him at the door.

"Excuse me." Merlin heard someone ask and realized that a small queue had formed behind him.

Merlin apologized and went out into the hall again, frowning in confusion.

"Merlin?"

Merlin turned to see a tall olive-skinned girl in a rather elegant tailleur. It took him some effort to recognize her as one of his classmates, for he had only seen her in jeans and a T-shirt before. "Hey, Norman!" Merlin greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I figure," she said, looking him up and down. "You're here for the recruitment, right? I mean, not that you need it, but..." She shrugged as she trailed off.

Merlin frowned at the sarcasm. "Recruitment, you said?" He tugged at his backpack nervously.

Before Norman could say anything in reply, however, Merlin saw Morgana coming out of the lift with Alator Zinke and Annis Ulman, the Diagnosis Division Manager.

"Excuse me," Merlin said and walked over to them.

"Merlin!" Morgana smiled at the sight of him, coming forward to hug him. "I was about to drag you here in person if you dared not showing up."

"Morgana, what does this mean?" Merlin asked, stunned.

"What does it look like?" Alator asked, reaching out to shake his hand. "And, just for the record, I second what Morgana just said."

"But-" Merlin glanced around again before looking at his own shabby sneakers and jeans, running a hand through his dishevelled hair in a futile attempt to appear more presentable. "Oh my God, why didn't you tell me? I’d’ve put on better clothes!"

"You look great, love," Morgana assured him, squeezing his shoulders in reassurance. "Let's go, Leon and Percy must be on their way."

Merlin took a few steps but then stopped, overcome by uncertainty.

"Morgana, aren't you going to get in trouble with you father-"

"Don’t worry about this, Merlin," Morgana said firmly. "Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Arthur, at least for now.”

This time, Merlin allowed to be dragged into the auditorium with a mixture of anxiety and fear.

.M.

As he climbed the elevator to his apartment that evening, Arthur tried to convince himself that he wasn't terrified of the possibility of Merlin not being there anymore. He wasn't particularly pleased with his own reaction the night before, when Merlin had voiced his intention to go back to his mother's house, but he couldn't even imagine how it’d feel to go back to living alone, even if things were a bit shaken between them. Arthur had spent most of the night driving around the city after that conversation, unable to face the possibility that Merlin had already packed his stuff to leave by the time he got back, but the fact that he had found Merlin sleeping at some point near sunrise, when he finally gathered the courage to come home, hadn't exactly ruled out that possibility altogether.

As soon as he put the key in the lock, Arthur thought he heard something inside and leaned his ear against the door, anxious and fearful in equal measures. He felt a weight being lifted from his chest when he heard the music playing¹ and took a deep breath before turning the key and stepping inside. Beyond the music, there was the sound of pans in the background and a slightly sweet aroma in the air. Arthur checked his watch and frowned at confirming that it was almost seven o'clock.

He closed the door behind him and removed his jacket, leaving it in the coat hanger before he moved forward, loosening his tie. The sight of Merlin studying the contents of a pan wearing Arthur's sweatpants made him feel even more confused, still afraid to allow any good expectations in so as not to be disappointed later.

"Hey," he called, causing Merlin to turn to him in surprise.

"Hey!" Merlin flashed him a smile - an uncertain one, but still a smile anyway. "I'm making spaghetti and meatballs! It's almost done." Merlin took the pan from the fire and poured the pasta into the colander.

"It smells deliciously," Arthur commented, putting his car keys down on the counter before he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"I took the day off," Merlin said without looking at him. "Gaius said it's okay."

Arthur's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he thought it best not to comment on it. "Want some help?" he asked instead.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this," Merlin said. "You should go get changed while I finish. It’ll be just a moment."

Arthur climbed the stairs quickly, breathing out in relief when he didn't find any baggages in their bedroom. Everything seemed to be in order there. He checked the bathroom just to make sure, seeing that Merlin's things were still at the same spot. Only then did Arthur allow himself to hope again, just a little bit.

He changed into some comfortable clothes and went downstairs, finding Merlin finishing setting the dinner table.

"I bought grape juice," Merlin said at spotting him. "I wasn’t sure if you liked it, but since you like wine, I thought perhaps-"

"I like it," Arthur assured him, accepting Merlin's invitation to sit down. He’d be happy to drink vinegar if that was what it took for Merlin not to move out.

Merlin filled their glasses while Arthur helped himself to some spaghetti. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Merlin was staring at him intently, but he averted his eyes when Arthur looked back at him.

"So?" Merlin asked when Arthur took the first forkful. "Is it good?"

Arthur hummed as he chewed. "It's... great, actually," he said honestly, to which Merlin seemed to relax, filling his plate as well. "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

"What?"

"Cooking," Arthur clarified. He had left the phone number of the restaurant he used to call for delivery and said Merlin could ask to put it on his bill, but he had found out Merlin hadn't made any others when he'd called the restaurant the day before. Arthur knew Merlin to be venturing on cooking - he had come across the leftovers by the end of the day on many occasions - but he hadn't thought Merlin to be making a habit of it. "Not that I'm complaining, but you don't have to."

"I know." Merlin shrugged, but left it at that. "Oh, Johanna asked me to tell you that she has a medical appointment on Monday but she'll come next Tuesday. I said no problem."

"Is she alright?" Arthur asked, worried.

"Yes, she said it's just a routine appointment."

Suddenly, the domesticity of that conversation struck him, and Arthur was surprised at how suddenly things had changed. It wasn't at all what Arthur had hoped - a little too formal maybe and Arthur felt as if he were walking on thin ice, waiting for the moment when it would all turn South - but perhaps they were on their way towards fixing things up. He didn't want to rush into this conclusion too soon, but he wondered what it all meant - the fact that Merlin hadn't gone to work, that homemade dinner, the light talk, the fact that Merlin hadn't gone ahead with his idea of going back to his mother's house-

"How was your day?" Merlin asked, tearing him away from his thoughts.

"Tiring," Arthur summed up, not wanting to go into specifics. No matter how light the conversation was, he doubted the mood would survive the topic 'Pendragon Consulting' without some drastic change. "How about yours?"

"I went to visit my mother after college," Merlin said casually, and Arthur froze for a moment, fearing the worst. "She wants us to have lunch with her on Saturday."

"Oh," Arthur exclaimed, still uncertain. He hadn't seen Hunith since Merlin had been kicked out of his internship and wasn't sure what the woman's opinion about him was anymore. "It's fine by me."

"Good." Merlin smiled briefly before turning his attention back to his plate. "I'll let her know."

"And how is she?"

"She’s great, actually." Merlin told him the news about his mother's promotion and her sewing.

Arthur wasn't sure if he had paid as much attention as he should to what Merlin said, too absorbed in watching Merlin light up as he spoke. Arthur hadn't seen him this enthusiastic in the past few weeks; his eyes were shining and he made wide gestures to illustrate his words. Arthur wondered if it was possible to fall in love again because it was exactly how he felt at that moment. He raised his hand with the intention of touching him - holding his hand, caressing his face, pulling him into a kiss - but something stopped him. Suddenly, Arthur felt a bitter, heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach which made him lower his hand, swallowing hard and averting his eyes.

"-and maybe... Arthur? What is it?" Merlin spoke, sounding worried in a sudden.

"Nothing," Arthur said, clearing his throat. "I'm happy for your mother," he rose to his feet, taking his plate. "Have you finished yet?"

"Yes but-"

"You can leave the cleaning to me," Arthur said, taking the dishes to the sink.

"Arthur..." Merlin sounded hurt and Arthur felt like the most despicable creature on the face of the Earth once again. "Arthur, you don't need to-"

"I'll just put everything in the dishwashing."

Arthur heard the noise of the chair dragging as Merlin stood up. "Let me help you then." 

"No, Merlin, I told you to leave it to me!" Arthur realized too late that he had unintentionally raised his voice and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he gripped the border of the sink. He could practically feel the wounded look of Merlin at his back and wished Merlin would shout back at him, for it wouldn't be less than he deserved.

When he turned back, however, he saw Merlin walking toward him decidedly.

"Oh, no, you're  _ not _ going to do this, not this time," Merlin said, standing in front of him and holding him by the collar of his T-shirt to meet his eyes. "You'll stop this right now, understand?"

"Stop what?"

"This self-flagellation of yours!"

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, stunned, taking a step back as Merlin pushed him until his hip met the sink.

Merlin had a determined expression on his face. "Does screaming at me makes you feel better about yourself? Because if it does, I'll be happy to let you scream until you're hoarse, but if you're just doing it to prove to me that you're not worth the effort, don't waste your fucking time."

Before Arthur could open his mouth to respond, Merlin kissed him hard. Arthur brought his hands up to Merlin's arms intending on pushing him away, but ended up bringing him closer.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed as he pulled away, their breaths shallow.

"Shut up and listen, because I'm only going to say it once, you hear me?" Merlin tugged on his collar again, and somehow it made Arthur feel aroused, despite the questionable context. "Nobody's blaming you for what happened besides yourself! I don't blame you, Morgana or anyone else, do you understand? Now stop being a clotpole and forget about it!"

"It's easy for you to say it." Arthur averted his eyes, jaw clamped tight. The truth was Arthur couldn't forget about it. Not when it had been three weeks since Merlin was looking for a job with no result.

"Fine." Merlin backed away, folding his arms and glaring at him. "I wasn't going to say this now because it's too early to tell if it's going to work out. I mean, a lot of things can happen until Monday, but if you're not going to be reasonable, I see no alternative." He took a deep breath, frowning. "I think I got a job."

"Really?" Arthur asked, surprised. "When? Where?"

Merlin closed his eyes for a moment before turning back to face him. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you yet, the recruitment was only today and they said they'd get in touch on Monday to start immediately, but like I said, everything can go wrong until then and I’m afraid I might jinx it if I say anything now, so please don't make me say it yet. "

"Fine, fine." Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "I won't ask, but is it good?"

"It's perfect!" Merlin smiled. "It's better than I could have asked for. It's in my area, the wage’s more than fair, the schedule is flexible and I’ll be doing what I love! I won't even have to drop any subjects in college and I can graduate in two years top!"

"That's... That's wonderful." Arthur felt relief filling him to the core, his muscles relaxing as an invisible weight was taken from his back. 

Merlin leaned closer, gripping his chin. "You see, it's going to be alright, just like you promised."

"Well, not exactly," Arthur said bitterly, but kept still while Merlin stroked his face softly.

"Don't worry, and stop blaming yourself."

Arthur exhaled, holding Merlin's wrists to push him away and averting his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I was an asshole with you yesterday. You're right, I shouldn't have talked to you in that tone, I have no right to tell you what to do, much less now that..."

Arthur left the unfinished sentence hang in the air and it was Merlin's turn to sigh. When Arthur looked up again, Merlin had a pensive expression on his face.

"You were an ass, I won't deny it," Merlin said at last. "But I might have an idea how you can make it up for me."

Arthur raised one eyebrow in suspicion. "You do?"

Merlin smiled slyly. "I'll be your boss for a day."

Arthur blinked in surprise. "What?"

Merlin shrugged. "Well, weren't you agreeing with me just now about how unfair it is that I have to put up with you ordering me about?"

"I don't remember saying that, exactly," Arthur began to argue, but Merlin didn't pay attention.

"You can make it up by being my intern for one day if it makes you feel better."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at him. "What if it doesn't make me feel better?"

"Then you can blame it on your boss."

They stared at each other for a while until Arthur folded his arms.

"Very well,  _ boss _ ," Arthur conceded at last, and Merlin's smile widened. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, since you asked," Merlin pretended to consider it for a moment, "you can start by putting these dishes aside and preparing my bath."

"I can, can't I?" Arthur didn't even try to contain a smile. "I guess you're going to want me to rub you too?"

Merlin pursed his lips. "You know, it's not a bad idea, now that you mentioned it."

"That doesn't sound very professional to me."

"What can I say?" Merlin shrugged. "I learned from the best."

Arthur had to struggle to keep from smirking. "Whatever you say, boss." He spread his hands. "I’m entirely in your hands."

Some time later, when the bathtub was full and steamy, Merlin entered the bathroom in his bathrobe only and told Arthur to remove his clothes and enter the water. Arthur obeyed promptly and drank from the sight as Merlin removed his own robe and sat on the edge of the tub, spreading his knees apart and exposing his half hard cock. Arthur tried to get closer to pay it some due attention, but Merlin stretched out one of his legs, touching Arthur's shoulder with his toes.

"How about a foot massage?" he said almost innocently, but something in his gaze made it clear that this was a demand, not a request.

"This is abuse of authority," Arthur muttered, but he obediently set to work at Merlin's feet.

Even after entering the bathtub, Merlin didn't allow Arthur to touch his cock nor made any mention of touching himself. And that was how, some time later, Arthur found himself naked and tied to his own bed, hands and feet stretched out and fastened securely by the elastic band that bound the bracelets and anklets. Merlin was bent over Arthur, his nose buried into Arthur's crotch as he displayed his ass in front of Arthur. He was just out of Arthur's reach though - Arthur had tried to stretch his tongue out to lick Merlin's balls, but the cuffs limited his movements and he couldn't hold his own neck up for long. Merlin's skin was still reddened where Arthur had rubbed it in the bathtub and Arthur was crazy to add the marks of his fingers to Merlin's thighs.

Arthur grunted in frustration when Merlin finally touched his cock with the tip of his tongue. " _ Mer _ lin," he complained. "This is torture, you know?"

Arthur felt a blow of warm breath on his cock as Merlin laughed. "Oh, I don't know, I'm finding it rather amusing. Now would you stop squirming?" he gripped the base of Arthur's cock, pushing him back against the mattress when Arthur jerked his hips up, searching for the inviting warmth of Merlin's mouth - there wasn't much room left for him to move his legs, but that didn't stop Arthur from trying.

"When did you become so bossy?" Arthur asked, remembering the last time Merlin had tied him to the bed. It was clear Merlin had lost much of his inhibition ever since. He was more confident and considerably more demanding.

"Have it ever crossed your mind that I might've always been this bossy?" Merlin said, turning his head to look over his shoulder, a crooked smile on his face. "How would you know, since you never gave me the chance to show this side of me?"

"Is that so?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You'd better enjoy your chance while it lasts, then. You know what they say, what goes around comes around."

"Oh, shut up now." Merlin rolled his eyes. "Or I'll make you by sticking something in your mouth, and it won't be my dick."

Arthur let out a sound of indignation, but he held back a reply when Merlin finally tucked his cock into his mouth at once. Arthur could feel the walls of Merlin's throat pressing against his glans and it was blissful; he grunted and threw his head back as he enjoyed the feeling. To complete the torture, Merlin began to work himself open right at Arthur's nose, thrusting his greased fingers into his ass in Arthur’s plain sight. Arthur cursed and forced his ties, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Merlin's fingers as he fucked him open, sliding them in and out and twisting them around. The privileged sight, added to the way Merlin bobbed his head, scratching the underside of Arthur's glans gently with his teeth over and over again, made Arthur dangerously close to coming.

"Merlin, please," Arthur begged, his hip moving almost on his own accord against the roof of Merlin's mouth as his hands forced the ties to no avail.

Merlin hummed before releasing him with a watery pop. "Since you asked so politely," he said, turning around to kiss him as he settled into position, straddling Arthur's hip and holding it in place as he eased himself down on Arthur's cock.

Merlin was so tight Arthur had to struggle to resist the urge to move his hips up to encourage him to hurry up. The only thing that assured Arthur that he wasn't in pain was the sight of Merlin's cock flushed and standing proudly up.

"Do you like what you see?" Merlin asked boldly at catching him staring.

Arthur licked his lips before nodding. "Very much."

"Me too," Merlin said and began to move slowly up and down.

"I only wish I could touch you back," Arthur added almost innocently, causing Merlin to snort.

"Nice try."

It wasn't long before Merlin closed his eyes, his mouth open in delight as he gasped, the tips of his fingers digging into Arthur's pecs.

"You feel so good, Arthur," Merlin murmured, riding him with abandon, the tip of his cock glowing with pre-come.

"You're so cruel, Merlin," Arthur gasped, wishing he could hold Merlin's thighs, his hip, his waist, lick his nipples, wrap his fingers around his cock.

"Ah, there, right  _ there _ ," Merlin said as he shifted his hip around, changing the angle, and Arthur felt a drop of warm liquid on his stomach.

Merlin hadn't touched himself until then and it didn't look like he was going to do it anytime soon. He also didn't seem to care what that merciless rhythm was doing to Arthur, who clenched his teeth as he tried to hold his own orgasm as long as possible. He couldn't control Merlin's movements from that position, though, nor did he want to admit he was this close to losing control.

" _ Mer _ lin..." Arthur mumbled through clenched teeth, twisting his wrists to grip the elastic tightly, desperate for something to grasp. "I can't- I about to-"

"Just a little longer," Merlin gasped, picking up speed.

Arthur felt the tightness in his balls indicating that he was losing that battle and then screamed as the orgasm was practically ripped out of him.

"Arthur!" Merlin scolded, still moving.

"I told you-" Arthur gasped. "Fuck!"

"I'm so fucking  _ close _ !" Merlin tilted his upper body back, resting his hands on his own heels, his breath catching, his movements wild.

Arthur wanted to ask him to stop for a moment, or at least to slow down a bit, but only whimpered, clenching his jaw tightly. It seemed to take forever before Merlin finally came, squeezing his spent cock as he rode out his own orgasm to the very last drop.

Merlin rested his hands on Arthur's shoulders for a moment, catching his breath. Arthur's cock felt hot and oversensitive and it send spasms all over his body at Merlin's every small contraction or movement.

"It served you right," Merlin gasped, grunting as he tried to get up, causing Arthur's softening cock to slide out.

"You really were trying to punish me, weren't you?" Arthur said sarcastically, releasing the elastic band clipped to his cuffs and allowing his muscles relax for once. "I was beginning to think I was imagining things."

Merlin grunted and cursed as he stretched out beside Arthur. "Well, you didn't seem willing to stop blaming yourself for what happened, so I thought, if someone were to punish you, it might as well be me," he said, resting his head on Arthur's chest, his breathing still altered. "Admit it, I'm much better at this punishing business than you are."

Arthur frowned. "Well-" he began, but Merlin lifted his head to face him.

"Before you say another word, let me remind you that you still need me to get out of these cuffs."

Arthur snorted, rolling his eyes. He doubted he’d ever stop blaming himself for what had happened, but Merlin was certainly doing a great job of distracting him. "About that, when are you going to let me out again?"

"Soon," Merlin promised, and laughed at the outrage on Arthur's face. "Alright, alright. Stop pouting, you big baby."

"Hey!"

"Shush!"

Arthur pouted even more at that, but he kept silent as Merlin unclasped the elastic from his wristbands before dropping onto the mattress again.

"Now make yourself useful and clean us up, will you?" Merlin said, throwing an arm over his eyes.

Arthur propped himself up on his bent elbows to gape at him. " _ What _ ?"

Merlin merely peered under his arm. "Who's the boss here?" he asked.

Arthur pulled a face. "You are," he conceded though reluctantly.

"Good boy." Merlin covered his eyes again, sighing, and Arthur shook his head to himself before freeing his own ankles.

.Merlin.

Merlin woke up with Arthur sitting on the bed, but he refused to open his eyes, aware that it was still too early in the morning.

"Whrmphm," he mumbled against the pillow, and felt the movement beside him stop for a moment.

Arthur bent over Merlin to whisper into his ear. "Merlin?"

"Hmm."

"Did you say something?"

Merlin took a deep breath, turning his head just enough to free his mouth. "I said, where do you think you're going?"

Arthur hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm going to... run?" he finished the sentence with a questioning tone.

"No, you're not." Merlin turned to the side, raising an arm to pull him back to the bed. "Not today."

Arthur grunted, but he let himself be pulled down, slipping under the sheet again and wrapping his arms around Merlin's waist. "You're really enjoying it, aren't you?" He said, kissing Merlin's shoulder.

"I have to make it worth it," Merlin grumbled, still refusing to open his eyes. "By the way, you're taking me to college today."

"Oh really?" Arthur asked sarcastically.

"Hm-hmm."

"Just don't let it go to your head."

Merlin sighed theatrically. "If you're not going to let me go back to sleep, at least do something useful with that mouth of yours."

"Well, since you asked so politely."

Despite the ironic tone, Arthur wasted no time before pushing Merlin until he was lying on his back and for his turn, Merlin didn't bother disguising a satisfied smile as Arthur threw the sheet to the side and descended a trail of kisses down his chest and abdomen, dispensing considerable attention to Merlin's nipples. When Arthur finally reached his cock, he was already half-hard.

Merlin hummed in approval, sighing. "I can easily get used to this."

Far from provoking him as punishment for his pretentious attitude, Arthur was an example of obedience, attending to his every request and instruction.

Merlin held Arthur's hair to dictate the rhythm. "Yes. So good. Don't stop."

Arthur groaned, supporting the weight of his body with one hand as he jerked himself with the other. It didn't take long for Merlin to come with a moan, and Arthur paused for a moment, but he didn't back away, letting the semen gather in his mouth before resuming sucking him slowly, as if trying to suck out the rest of his cum straight from his balls. Merlin moaned again and again until Arthur finally released his spent cock.

"Come here," Merlin called, pulling him up to kiss him, thrusting his tongue into his mouth. He broke the kiss to face him next. "Did you swallow it?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes," Arthur nodded, rubbing his own erection against Merlin's abdomen.

"You never swallow," Merlin remarked silly.

"You never kiss me before you brush your teeth," Arthur returned, shrugging. “I guess there's a first time for everything.”

Merlin grunted, pulling Arthur back into a kiss as he thrust a hand between their bodies, jerking Arthur off until he spilled his release all over Merlin's chest, his cock throbbing.

"Look what you did," Merlin said, bringing his own hand to his mouth and licking his fingers clean. "Now you're going to have to give me a shower."

"Christ, Merlin," Arthur growled, holding his wrist to still him. "Could you stop sounding so sexy for a moment? I just came!"

"Well, I have to make up for your lost morning exercising, haven't I?"

.M.

Merlin gave Arthur a quick peck before stepping out of the car, tossing his backpack over his shoulder and walking to the entrance of the college building. It took him a long time to realize people were staring at him, some slightly gaping, others whispering, and it took him longer to realize why.

"Hey, Merlin?" Merlin stopped when someone called him, turning toward the sound and watching Carter approach him, followed by his friends. "What's up dude?"

"Hey," Merlin greeted, somewhat stunned by the reception when Kane, Molly, and Ashley also greeted him one by one. Merlin often exchanged a word or two with them on Twitter, but they hardly met on campus, and when they did, Merlin basically went unnoticed - most of the time on purpose from his part.

"Was that your boyfriend, in the Maserati?" Kane asked in amazement, and only then did Merlin understand the reason for all that attention. "What's his name again?"

"Arthur," Ashley offered, exchanging a meaningful glance with Molly. "Arthur Pendragon, isn't it?"

Merlin frowned, trying to remember when he'd mentioned Arthur's last name to any of them. He was about to ask how they knew it, when Kane continued, intrigued.

"Pendragon, you said? Has he any kinship with the owners of Pendragon Consulting?"

"Erm..." Merlin tugged the strap of his backpack nervously for a moment, but he soon reminded himself it was no longer a secret. "It’s his family business, yes."

"I knew it!" Molly said, slipping an arm around Merlin's and pulling him away from the two gaping boys and into the building. "What's your first class today?"

"It's Pennyman's, I think," Merlin said, still a bit stunned as Ashley hung on his other side.

"Oh, my condolences," Ashley said sympathetically. "Why don't you escort us ladies to our class, then? It's on your way!"

"Indeed," Merlin said, slightly sarcastic, since they were apparently the ones escorting him. "Hey, how did you guys know Arthur's last name?"

"Oh, well." Molly had the decency to seem embarrassed, though not much. "I may have searched amongst your Facebook friends," she admitted.

"It's not like you have that many friends named Arthur, is it?" Ashley came into her friend's rescue. "And we recognized his profile photo."

"Why didn't you tag each other on your Facebook status?" Molly pried.

Ashley reached for her friend's arm over Merlin's and gave it a slap. "Molly, don't be such a nosy bitch!" she said, though she also seemed anxious for the answer.

"Because he hadn't told his family yet," Merlin offered, thinking it wasn't fair to say that Arthur hadn't 'come out,' since Arthur didn't seem to identify himself as gay or bisexual.

"Oh, poor thing." Molly stroked Merlin's arm, pouting.

"You said he  _ hadn't _ , as in  _ at the time _ ?" Ashley pressed slyly. "Has he told them now?"

"Well, yes, but..." Merlin shifted from one foot to the other, looking around for some excuse to escape their inquisition. "It's kinda complicated. Look-" he began, but was interrupted by Kane.

"Merlin, I was just talking to Carter right now, why don't you come to Turner's party this Saturday?"

Ashley jumped up excitedly. "Yeah, you can bring Arthur!"

"Oh, I don't think that is a good idea. I don't know Turner that well."

"Nonsense." Carter rolled his eyes. "I don't know half the guys at the parties I go to. You should definitely go."

"It's not like Turner cares, he's crazy about sports cars, I bet he and Arthur would get on very well."

"Yeah, I bet they will," Merlin said wryly, finally breaking free of the girls. "I'll have to talk to Arthur about it, okay? Sorry, I have to go now."

"Let us know if you decide to come!" Molly screamed

Merlin nodded, waving and moving away as fast as he could. As soon as he entered the classroom, he heard someone else calling and tensed up again.

"Hey, Merlin!"

Merlin turned to see Gili waving at him and relaxed again. "Hello, Gili." He sat down beside his friend, hanging his backpack behind his chair. "What are you doing here? Isn't your class only on Tuesdays?"

Gili was more advanced in his studies than Merlin, so their classes hardly matched.

Gili shrugged. "I need a couple of extra points with Pennyman. Don’t ask me,” he added before Merlin's arched eyebrow. “The old bat told me to come and I'm here, that's it."

Merlin shook his head, moving his feet out of the way for a girl to walk down the narrow corridor towards an empty seat, down their row.

"Did something happen?" Gili asked, intrigued. "You look kind of spooked."

"Spooked?" Merlin snorted. "I'm just shocked about what a sports car does to people."

Gili frowned and opened his mouth, but he seemed to think better, turning a pen nervously in his hand. "So," he said uncertainly. "I'm sorry if I'm prying, but..." He cleared his throat. "It's just that we've heard some stories after you left."

"If you heard I was sent away after Uther Pendragon found out about my sordid affair with his son, then it's all true," Merlin said sarcastically.

Gili pulled a face at his unfriendly tone. "You mean Uther Pendragon actually caught you two doing it on top of his desk?" He said, wryly.

"Yeah- What?  _ No _ !" Merlin shouted indignant, then sighed, suddenly ashamed at realizing the hurt in Gili's eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be an ass. It's just... Well, it's complicated."

"No problem," Gili said, relaxing again. "I mean, you never said you were gay, but it's kinda-"

"Obvious," Merlin offered, smiling. "I know, that's the intention. I'd paint my nails and glitter my eyelids if I felt like doing it, but Arthur is different. He's... figuring this out yet, that's why we kept it a secret. But there's no reason to beat around the bush now, so let's do this, you can ask whatever you want. Come on, bring it on."

"It's not like you have to say anything," Gili snapped quickly. "It's just that people talk a lot of shit. I just wanted to hear it from you."

"Well, now you know." Merlin shrugged. "And, believe me, the story is not nearly as sordid as people say."

"Are you... working somewhere else? Did you get another internship?" Gili asked uncertainly.

"No," Merlin shook his head. "But I'm hoping things are about to change for the better."

"Right." Gili kept quiet for a while, avoiding staring at him.

"Gili," Merlin said sympathetically. "It's okay! I really don't mind talking about it."

"Are you guys still together?" Gili finally asked. "After everything that happened?"

"After he spoiled my career, you mean?" Merlin asked, ironically. "Look, it wasn't just his fault, I knew where I was getting into. We both knew it would be risky and we both chose to take the risk, he didn't force me into anything, and I’d really like people to understand this. I mean, I don't care what they might say about me, but Arthur... He's a responsible and considerate professional and- Don't look at me like that, it's true!"

"If you say so," Gili conceded, though he didn't seem very convinced.

"I  _ know _ he is! He’s affectionate and brave and honest. He’s been consumed by guilt over what’s happened, but I’m hopeful that everything will be alright again soon." Merlin said, sounding more confident than he really felt. "Gili, do you consider me as a friend?"

"Of course!" Gili sounded almost offended.

"Great, because I also consider you as mine. You said you wanted to hear the whole story from me, so here it goes..."²

.M.

When the last class was about to end, Merlin received a message from Arthur saying he was waiting outside. At first, Merlin thought Arthur was just stopping to take Merlin to lunch over his break, but Arthur said he had decided to take the day off after he had left Merlin at college. Merlin wanted to reprimand Arthur for skipping work for no good reason other than his willingness to spoil his boyfriend, but the truth was that Merlin was glad he had done that. At least he wouldn't have to spend the rest of the afternoon alone in the apartment.

Arthur took him to lunch, then they went for a walk around the park, inventing stories about unsuspecting passers-by for fun. When they returned home, Merlin noticed something off right away.

"What is this smell?" Merlin asked, sniffing.

"Smell?" Arthur looked worried. "What smell?"

"Did you happen to burn microwave popcorn?" Merlin asked, heading for the kitchen to check if everything was in order. Luckily there was nothing on fire there.

"Of course not!" Arthur was indignant. "Hey, how about we catch a movie? If we run, we can still catch the three o'clock session," he suggested.

Merlin didn’t listen to it, for his attention had already been captured by a black trash bag half hidden under the sink. "What is it?" he asked, approaching, but he soon found out the bag was closed by a firm knot.

"I've been cleaning the fridge, throwing away some expired stuff," Arthur explained.

Merlin frowned. "There was nothing expired in the fridge, that I can remember. And I’ve looked into it a lot during the last few days."

The smell was more intense there and Merlin bent down to peer under the sink.

" _ Mer _ lin," Arthur said through gritted teeth, but it was too late.

"My pan!" Merlin cried out, pulling what was left of his favorite frying pan from inside another sack. It was totally blackened, the metal now rough and singed. "What have you done!"

"It was an accident, alright?" Arthur said, pulling the frying pan out of his hand with a tug. "And, technically, the pan’s mine, not yours. Hey, what are you doing? Take your hands off of it!" Arthur slapped Merlin's hand as he pulled the other bag to peer inside.

"Arthur, were you cooking?" Merlin asked, torn between disbelief and surprise.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur said, putting the pan back in place and pulling Merlin away from the sink. "I'm useless at the kitchen, remember?"

"Arthur!" Merlin covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide a smile. "Were you cooking for me?" he asked and Arthur grunted something unintelligible.

Giving up on pulling him away from the kitchen, Arthur abandoned him there, going to the TV and turning it on. Merlin looked around, now seeing the traces of Arthur's unsuccessful attempt at cooking, the scorched napkin by the cooktop, a patch of what looked like gravy on the floor, the tilted salt shaker...

"Oh, Arthur," Merlin walked over to him, sitting on his lap and circling Arthur's neck with his arms, forcing him to stare back at him. "I can't believe you did it!"

"What?" Arthur said, shaking his arms away. "You can't believe I almost set the kitchen on fire? Believe me, a burnt pan is nothing compared to what could have happened."

Merlin laughed and Arthur tossed him on the sofa as he stood up.

"Arthur, wait!" Merlin grabbed his thigh, preventing him from walking away and almost knocking him on the process. "Okay, I promise I'm not going to laugh anymore, now sit down, please."

Arthur grunted, but eventually sat down again and Merlin sat with his legs folded at his side.

"Hey." Merlin touched Arthur's sulky face. Arthur seemed about to move away from his touch, but eventually gave up, staring at him. "No matter if you burned the whole kitchen, what matters is that you were willing to try to cook for me. No one has ever done that for me. Well, except my mum, of course, but you know what I mean."

It made Arthur exhale, letting his head fall on the back of the couch, snorting. "It's a good thing you settle for so little, because if it depends on me, no one else will be cooking for you besides her."

Merlin laughed and kissed him. "Okay, I don’t mind it," he assured Arthur. "You can continue to take me to the best restaurants in London, instead," he teased.

"But it's not fair that, on top of everything I’ve put you through, you feel obliged to cook for me as well."

Merlin exclaimed in astonishment. "And who said I’m doing it out of obligation? I do it for myself, to be honest. You know how hungry I get all the time, and the truth is I'm finding this cooking thing very fulfilling and what did you mean by 'everything you put me through'?'

"Well, you didn't have to cook at your mother's house, did you?" Arthur said bitterly.

"No, I didn’t have to," Merlin admitted, holding back a smile. "But I had to rely on my right hand, and if you really want to know, I'd rather have to cook than go back to jerking myself off every night," he teased, but Arthur didn't seem to be amused.

"Merlin." Arthur closed his eyes as if preparing to say something painful. "I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but please promise that you won't threaten to leave me again. You can boss me around as much as you feel like, you can tie me up in bed and punish me the way you think fair, but don't ever say you're going back to your mother's again."

"I promise," Merlin said quickly, feeling a lump in his throat as he pressed his forehead to Arthur's. "I'm sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize." Arthur took one of his hands and intertwined their fingers, kissing the outside of his thumb. "I deserved that, and I'll probably screw it up again at some point, just... don't give up on me."

Merlin pulled back to face him, a devilish grin on his face. "Did you really just give me consent to punish you anyway I feel like?"

"I said however you think is fair," Arthur said, suddenly concerned. "There's a big difference."

"What if I think it's fair to make you wear a sexy firefighter costume with elephant underwear?" Merlin raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Idiot," Arthur said, but there was the suggestion of a smile at the corner of his lips when Merlin kissed him again until he relaxed completely between their kisses.

"That's better," Merlin said, nestling into Arthur's lap again, looping his arms around his neck. "If you want, we can try to cook something together," he suggested, but Arthur shook his head.

"Christ, no, I won't go near that damned stove for a long time if you do not mind, but I promise I'll buy another frying pan for you if you promise not to get so attached to it, alright?"

"I'm counting on that."

.Merlin.

The following weekend was quite busy. On Saturday, Arthur and Merlin had lunch at Hunith's apartment and at night, to Merlin's surprise, Arthur insisted that they attend Turner's party, even if Merlin said he didn't much care to go. Arthur argued that Merlin had to go to at least one college party in his life, then he could decide whether or not to go to the next ones.

As much as Merlin was reluctant to admit, he'd had fun. Arthur had been the center of attention at the party - although most people seemed disappointed when Arthur explained that they had chosen to go by taxi, so no, they couldn't see his Maserati this time - and Merlin, as a result, ended up receiving more attention than he was comfortable with, but Arthur had insisted on not leaving Merlin out of sight for more than a few minutes, holding his hand and dragging him to the makeshift dance floor whenever he noticed any sign of discomfort. They didn't stay until very late because Arthur had his monthly football match the next day and needed to be in shape if he wanted to dedicate some goals for Merlin.

In fact, all the boys made a point of dedicating their goals to Merlin that Sunday, including an unknown guy from the opposing team - Merlin had argued that the guy was probably doing it just to spite them, but Arthur didn't seem very convinced and Percy had to interfere before their captain would confront the unsuspecting man.

At some point, when they were down to six to two for Camelot, Leon made a particularly spectacular defense and kissed the ball right after. "This is for you, Merlin!" he shouted, causing Merlin to roll his eyes, even though he had a shy smile on his face.

"Even you, Leon?" Arthur scolded, indignant.

"Hey, you're not the only one who's missing Merlin, alright?" Leon shouted back, preparing to throw the ball back into the field.

The other boys responded to this with catcalls and claps on Leon’s shoulders.

"That's it!" Gwaine applauded. "You see, Princess? Everyone here loves Merlin, not just you!”

"The difference is we don't sleep with him every night," Elyan added.

Arthur made a very rude gesture after that, causing the others to cackle.

Merlin saw the opposing team take position in the meantime, taking advantage of their distraction, and cupped his hands around mouth just as Leon kicked the ball toward Elyan. "Elyan, behind you!" Merlin warned and Elyan blocked the player's attack right on time, passing the ball to Mordred, who ran into the other side of the field.

"Thanks Merlin!" Elyan threw a kiss in the air before running to where the action took place and Merlin watched as Arthur gestured to Elyan indicating that he had his eyes on him.

Merlin was about to cry out for Arthur to take it easy when something caught his attention in the bleachers on the far side of the field. He thought he had seen a familiar face, but when he looked back, the man had turned his face to the opposite direction and stood up, heading for the exit. Merlin narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the man's outline as he walked away, but it wasn't as if they were close, and the fact that the man was wearing a cap didn't help either.

The alarm on Merlin's phone rang, startling him. He searched until he found the whistle Arthur had given him and blew it, waving his hand. "Time’s up! Time's up!" Merlin screamed.

The players slowed down their runs and began to shake each other's hands. Merlin ran into the field to congratulate the winners. He received sweaty hugs, strong pats on his back and had his hair repeatedly tousled.

"We missed you terribly," Lance said, ruffling his hair. "Especially Gwen."

"I miss her, too," Merlin admitted wistfully. "And all of you."

"I told them you were our mascot," Elyan said, patting him on the back. "Why do you think we lost the last game?"

"Because Arthur was having one of those days," Percy said, raising an eyebrow at Merlin.

"And what do you think was the reason for his PMS’ing?" Gwaine said wryly, sweeping Merlin off his feet and swirling him around.

"Hey!" Merlin complained, but he clung to Gwaine's clothes so as not to be thrown away.

"Hey, would you let go of my boyfriend now?" They heard Arthur say, running back to them after having shaken hands with the captain of the opposing team.

"Say it a little louder, Arthur," Leon said, taking off his gloves. "I think the audience on the other side of the field still haven't understood Merlin's your boyfriend yet."

The others laughed and Arthur gave Leon a cuff to the head as he passed him by, but kept running until...

"Art-" Merlin was interrupted when all the air was expelled from his lungs and he had to take a few steps backwards not to fall on his back with the force of the impact, taking Arthur with him. Before he could protest, however, Arthur kissed him.

"I don't know if I made myself clear," Arthur said, ignoring the whistles, howls, and the clapping of his colleagues and some of the audience. "But that goal was for you."

"Erm... I think you were quite clear about that," Merlin said, feeling his face flush.

"I would have scored some more if these idiots weren't determined to thwart my attempts."

"I know." Merlin smiled, reaching for Arthur's hair to take a leaf of grass tangled in his strands. He was sticky and smelling of sweat, but Merlin couldn't care less about it. "Maybe next game."

Arthur's face split up into a smile. "Definitely next game." He promised and kissed him again before circling one arm around his shoulder and dragging him along as he followed the others into the locker room.

"Oh, Arthur?" Merlin said, thinking he saw the red-capped man again, though only at a glance. "Does your father usually watch your games?"

"My father?" Arthur stopped, pulling his arm away. "It's been a few years since he's watched me play. Why the question?"

"I thought I saw him in the bleachers," Merlin said, and Arthur frowned. "But I may have been wrong."

"Probably," Arthur said, putting his arm back around his shoulders and walking again. "How about we take a shower now?"

"I’m not the one reeking," Merlin said, taking Arthur's hand from his shoulder as he pretended to be disgusted. "Or rather, I wasn't."

"Oh,  _ now _ you're all grossed out?" Arthur arched an eyebrow and stepped closer to him, holding his arms still and rubbing his sweaty face against Merlin's neck.

Merlin made some weak attempts to break free, but eventually stopped struggling, laughing.

.Merlin.

"Mrs. Hill?" Arthur called, knocking on the open door of the Warehouse, causing the woman behind the counter to look up.

The Warehouse's supervisor was a big and stern woman, and Arthur would never have guessed that she could look even uglier than usual, but somehow she managed, as she looked him up and down.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Any problems with the file I asked for?"

"Problems?" Mrs. Hill spoke, her upper lip twitching unpleasantly. "No, there's no problem, as far as I know." She pointed to a heavy-looking box next to the counter. "It's somewhere inside that box. I would ask Bedivere to look, but he left and should only come back after lunch. Since you said it was urgent, I thought it best to call you in case you weren't willing to wait."

Arthur stared at the box and opened his mouth to respond, but eventually exhaled, defeated. The truth was that it wasn't that urgent, but Arthur suspected he wouldn't see the file so soon if it depended on the Warehouse’s Supervisor goodwill towards him.

"Alright, I'll go search for it myself if you don't mind."

"Not at all," the woman declared in feigned cordiality, and Arthur pulled the fabric from his trousers before he knelt down to go through the box contents. "Too bad you don't have any interns up there anymore, right?" she continued, casually.

"Indeed," Arthur agreed, hoping the conversation would end there.

Mrs. Hill wasn't the only co-worker who had treated him with contempt lately. Most people weren't openly hostile like her, merely pretending not to see him so as not to have to greet him, giving any excuse not to get in the elevator with him or something like that. Even the scullery ladies treated him coldly of late. It had been a few weeks since Arthur had last had hot water in his office to make some tea, and he suspected that the water in the thermos hadn't even been changed since Merlin left.

That wasn't surprising, however. Merlin had made many friends in there, having visited all divisions running errands for Arthur and winning people over with his charisma. It was only expected that they took Merlin's pain in this situation, and deep down Arthur knew he deserved it.

Arthur's phone started ringing as he was still rummaging through the box and he answered without bothering to check who it was first. "Yes?" he said, his attention focused on reading the labels of the folders.

" _ Arthur, where are you? I'm trying to call you all morning, but your secretary refuses to patch me through. _ "

Arthur froze for a moment as he recognized his father's voice, but forced himself to go on as if it were no big deal. "Perhaps it's because I'm not in my office," his tone grew cold on instinct. "What do you want?"

He heard his father sigh. " _ I need you to come to my office in half an hour, _ " Uther said, continuing before Arthur could respond. " _ And before you say you're too busy, I can assure you that it's in your best interest to come. Morgana’ll be here as well. _ "

"Oh, I cannot wait, then," Arthur said sarcastically as he finally found the file he needed.

" _ Arthur- _ " Uther said in an admonishing tone, but Arthur interrupted him.

"Alright, I'll be there in half an hour," he hung up, closing the box and getting up. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Hill."

"You’re welcome," the supervisor showed her teeth in a clearly fake smile, probably disappointed that he had found it so fast.

Arthur took the next half-hour to make some calls and ended up being a few minutes late to his appointment, but it wasn’t as if he was too worried about that. When he reached Uther's office, the secretary said he was being awaited. Arthur approached the door and was about to open it when he heard Morgana's voice from inside.

" _ -he had nothing to do with it. Actually, he doesn’t even know it yet, but I thought I'd better tell you before you found out through somebody else. _ "

" _ Morgana, do you have any idea of what you're doing? _ " Uther's voice sounded more tired than annoyed. " _ People will talk. _ "

" _ People will talk anyway, no matter what we do, but the whole process was done by the book and I have all the documents to prove it right here, if someone wants us to explain- _ "

Arthur had no idea what they were talking about, but he wasn't interested either. He wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, so that he could go back to work. He took a deep breath and opened the door, causing the two occupants of the room to stop their conversation to face him.

Uther was the first to recover from the surprise, squaring his shoulders. "Sit down, Arthur," he pointed to a chair.

Arthur obeyed, casting a brief icy glance toward his sister before sitting down beside her, folding his arms and facing his father in defiance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Morgana stiffen up and could imagine her pressing her lips together stubbornly as she gathered the scattered documents on the table.

Uther looked from one of his stubborn child to the other, then sighed. "Well, I suppose I should get right to the point." He looked down at his own hands for a moment before turning to face them again, an expression of pure professionalism on his face. "I'll be retiring in a week."

Arthur blinked in surprise, but it was Morgana who reacted first.

"What?" She asked incredulously. "Retiring? In a week?" She turned at Arthur, but he had recovered from surprise enough to appear indifferent. She turned back to Uther. "Why?"

"I've been considering it for some time," Uther said, leaning back in his chair. "Since I first met Catrina, actually. I was waiting for the right moment, but maybe this moment will never come. Or maybe it has already happened and I didn’t realize it. The fact is that I don’t want to wait until I’m too sick or too old to enjoy what’s left of my life. I'm getting too old for this."

"Old?" Morgana was indignant. "Father, you-"

"Morgana," Uther interrupted, almost serene, "I know this may seem sudden to you, but believe me when I say my decision is already taken. There’s no going back now, this is my turning point. I’ll leave the company in a week."

"But- But-" Morgana stammered, once again looking at Arthur as if seeking for help, but Arthur remained inflexible. She turned to Uther again, defeated. "You are the president and founder of the company, what will our shareholders say about this sudden decision? How about our clients?”

"I'm sure they'll understand," Uther interrupted, holding Arthur's gaze determinedly. "Besides, it's not like my absence will be felt that much, I thought so, but somebody made me open my eyes about it, you don’t need me around to keep the business running. In fact you have been doing it perfectly well without my help for some time now. For this reason I'll be naming you," he looked from Arthur to Morgana, "Morgana, as my successor."

That made Arthur finally react in surprise. He turned to look at Morgana, whose eyes were bulging, a hand covering her mouth.

"Me?" she murmured, shocked, then looked at Arthur. "But-"

"Morgana," Uther interrupted her again, leaning forward until his elbows rested on the table, "I've spent the last few weeks reflecting on this and you're the perfect person to take on the presidency."

"But I thought-" Morgana said. "I mean, what about Arthur?"

"It was Arthur who opened my eyes to this," Uther said. "He made me realize that I couldn’t leave the company in better hands."

Arthur cleared his throat, lowering his eyes to his own hands so as not to betray the conflict that had settled inside of him in the last seconds. He was glad that Uther had considered his words and recognized Morgana's effort, but there was a part of him - which he wasn’t proud of - that wished his sister would feel bad for what she had done to Merlin. Deep down, he knew she was only following Uther's orders, but Arthur couldn’t forgive her for obeying without pulling a fight, just as he couldn’t forgive himself for his own part on all this.

"Arthur-" Morgana started tentatively, but Arthur didn’t allow her to speak another word.

"I didn’t do this for you," he lied, avoiding facing her. "I did it because I thought it was fair."

"The stakeholders will have to vote for my nomination, of course." Uther continued before Morgana could respond, "but I'm sure they won’t object to my decision, so I'd like to discuss some details with you during the week, Morgana. However, there's something I need to talk to Arthur before, if you don’t mind."

After a brief hesitation, Morgana left without saying a word, but Arthur could feel her hurt as if it was radiating through the room, burning him. He had thought that he’d be more pleased with that small vengeance, but the truth was that he felt even worse than before.

"Arthur-" Uther began cautiously.

"If what you have to talk about isn’t strictly professional, don’t waste your time." Arthur tensed his muscles, ready to get up and leave at any moment.

"Arthur, all I ask is that you listen to me only this time, and-"

"Excuse me," Arthur said, standing up, but stopped with his hand on the doorknob when his father's next words hit him.

"I just wish you to know I'm proud of you." Uther raised his voice.

Arthur turned to his father, believing he had heard wrong. Uther lifted his chin in a superb pose, but then averted his eyes, breathing deeply "I'm proud of both of you, actually," he continued, straightening his jacket and clearing his throat. "Please, Arthur, sit down, I promise I won’t take much of your time and you can ignore me later if you wish."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, then sat down again, staring at his father with open suspicion.

"Perhaps I was too hard on you," Uther said, "as you was sure to point out in our last conversation, but the truth is that I don’t regret the way I’ve chosen to raise you, I’ve done what I thought was right and demanded of you as much as I demand of myself. I'm really proud of the man you've become, not only professionally but also as a person. The way you defended Morgana that day..." He shook his head. "I know I'm not in a position to ask anything of you at the moment, but I wish you weren’t so hard on your sister, she wasn't to blame for what happened, I demanded she send that boy-" he closed his eyes for a moment. "Merlin, away."

"Oh, I’m aware of that," Arthur said, finding some comfort in blaming his father, like someone wearing an old, laced shoe. He knew that ground well after all those years. "I know she was only following your orders, but she could have refused."

Uther pressed the bridge over his nose. "Alright," he conceded. "I'm not going to insist on this, nor am I going to try to shy away from the blame; as I said, I did what I thought right at the moment." Arthur was already getting ready to get up again, but Uther's next words made him hesitate, intrigued. "But I didn’t know what I know now."

"And what do you know now?" Arthur asked when Uther didn’t go on immediately. "Because I'm going to say what you knew  _ before _ . You knew that nothing of what happened was Merlin's fault, because I said I was the one to blame for dragging things like this without taking action to stop a scandal. You knew Merlin needed the money because he chose UCL to help things out with his mother when he could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge. You knew it would ruin his career because you know that's how things work. And you knew I would never forgive you again because I made sure to tell you this-"

"I didn’t know how committed you really were to him."

"I told you I  _ love _ him!" Arthur was indignant. "Isn’t it clear enough?"

"Arthur, put yourself in my shoes for a moment, will you?" Uther raised his voice a fraction. "One minute I was perfectly sure I knew my own son; the next I discovered that he was taking his intern to bed behind my back, what did you expect me to think?"

"You had every right to doubt what I said, but you should have at least looked into it  _ before  _ you took any action, now it's too late!"

Arthur's words echoed in the room for a moment as they stared at each other, their tempers too high.

Uther looked away first, running a hand over his face tiredly. "Morgana told me that you are living together."

"Yes," Arthur replied impassively.

"And Gaius mentioned that Merlin has returned to work for him at the drugstore when I was there last week."

Arthur merely snorted. He found it unnecessary to point out how much Merlin's potential was being wasted there.

Uther nodded, examining a pen on the table for some time before turning to face him again. "I cannot undo what I did, son, and I'm not going to lie by saying that I understand you suddenly getting romantically involved with a boy. Perhaps I'm too old or too old-fashioned... Perhaps I’ll never understand, but what I witnessed yesterday at the club, by end of that game-"

"At the club?" Arthur wondered, remembering what Merlin had said about seeing his father. "Wait, did you come and watch my game?"

"What I saw there," Uther continued, nodding, "made me understand that... that he makes you happy regardless of what I think about it. As a parent, there's nothing I want more in the world than seeing my children happy. And if that means having to accept Merlin as part of your life, so be it."

It was Arthur's turn to look away. Uther's words disarmed him for a moment. He knew that there were still many unsettling details in that speech, but he had grown accustomed to the fact that his father would never accept his relationship with Merlin and now found himself confused once more. There was a part of him - the boy who brought his grades to his father full of hope just to be looked down at once again - who apparently still craved that acceptance. The previous mention of Gaius also made Arthur wonder how much of it all was a consequence from Uther's conversation with his former employee.

"Arthur, I know I hurt you, and I know that doesn’t change the past, but I really hope that one day you can forgive me and accept me back into your life."

Arthur took some time to respond, examining his own feelings closely. "I honestly don’t know if I'll ever be able to forgive you," he said sincerely. "All I know is that I can’t forgive you now."

Uther looked down again, nodding slowly. “I understand.”

"About accepting you back into my life," Arthur continued, "you'll never stop being my father, but that doesn’t depend only on me anymore. It depends on Merlin too, because he's part of my life now and I intend him to stay for a long, long time. If Merlin doesn’t want you to set foot in our home, I won’t force your presence on him."

"Sounds fair," Uther agreed gravely.

"Not that I think he's going to hold it against you, anyway. He's a much better person than you or me."

"I don’t doubt it." Uther frowned pensively.

They sat still for a while, but there was nothing more to be said.

.M.

Arthur had already sent a few messages to Merlin that afternoon asking for news, but all he had received in return was a single word: ' _ Later _ .' He wanted to believe that it meant good news, yet he was finding it hard to hope for lately.

At about three o'clock in the afternoon Arthur heard a little commotion outside his office and looked up from his computer screen to see Morgana leading a small group of people to his division, pointing to the stalls and making presentations. Leon had mentioned something about this being the first day of the new employees, but Arthur hadn’t paid much attention to what he’d said at the time.

"Morgana?" Arthur called as he left his office.

"Oh, and this is Arthur Pendragon, External Relation’s Director and also my brother," Morgana said in her business tone. "Arthur, Leon, these are the new employees." She pointed at each of them, introducing their names and the divisions to which they were assigned, but Arthur didn’t bother to remember all their names. As she had promised, there were two employees for each division under Arthur's responsibility: CRM, Diagnostics, Implementation and... "This is Miss Norman Thompson, who’ll start in Development and... Wait, there's one missing. Where is he?"

"Right here," said a well known voice, and Arthur turned to the door to see Merlin coming in with a timid smile on his face. "Sorry, I found some familiar faces in the hallway."

The silence that followed those words was broken by Gwen’s enthusiastic cry. " _ Merlin _ , oh my  _ God _ !" Gwen ran to Merlin pulling him into a tight hug and Arthur had to stop himself from going there and taking her place.

Merlin smiled at him over Gwen's shoulder and winked.

"Mr. Emrys will start in Development too," Morgana said, drawing everyone's attention again, except for Arthur who didn’t take his eyes off of Merlin for a second. "Alright, now why don't you guys follow Miss Keller? She's going to tell you a little about what the Customer Relationship Management division does."

"From your face, you knew nothing of it." Arthur was startled to hear Gwaine's voice at his side.

"I had no idea," Arthur admitted, watching as Leon, Elyan, and Mordred stepped forward to greet Merlin.

"Someone needs apologizing, then." Gwaine nodded toward Morgana. "And I have to collect some ten-pound notes." He smiled, pleased.

"Have you really bet on my fight with Morgana?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"You really think I wouldn't?" Gwaine asked in return before moving away from the others, excusing his way past their friends to hug Merlin.

Arthur looked around, putting his hands in his pockets. Gwen had led the new employees into the middle of the room, talking and gesturing with a smile on her face. Morgana was farther away, watching Gwen speak, seeming absorbed in her contemplation. Arthur remembered the conversation he had overheard between his father and sister earlier that day, and felt ashamed of the way he had treated her.

"Hey." Arthur turned to Merlin's soft voice and felt himself again being shaken by a swirl of emotions before the glint in his boyfriend's eyes, the small wrinkles gathering around them as he smiled. "Surprise?"

Arthur scowled and gathered a startled Merlin by the arm, dragging him out of the room, making the others rush out of his way.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried out as he was practically thrown against the corridor wall, his eyes wide.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur demanded, keeping his arms stretched out to prevent himself from pressing Merlin against the wall with his own body.

"Morgana asked me to keep it secret," Merlin admitted, shrugging. "Why? You didn’t like it?"

"Didn't I-  _ Mer _ lin!" Arthur shook him and then hugged him tightly. "Jesus, Merlin, don't even joke about that, I never dreamed- Dammit," he cursed his own inability to finish a sentence.

Merlin laughed. "I know, I know." He hugged Arthur back. "It was a surprise to me too."

Arthur stepped back to face him again, pulling himself together enough to remember where they were and putting a respectful distance between them. "So, on Thursday, when you said that you might have found got a job-"

"I had already being recruited, yes," Merlin finished, trying to keep his smile satisfied, but failing miserably. "But it was totally unplanned on my part, Morgana asked me to come and said that there was something important to tell me. I thought it was something about you, but when I arrived... I mean, I came straight from college, I was probably the only human being wearing t-shirt and jeans in a one-mile radius!"

Arthur laughed, not caring if it wasn't even that funny. "Christ, Merlin..." Unable to hold himself anymore, he reached out for Merlin's hand.

Merlin squeezed his fingers. "Morgana was great, you know," he said, his smile becoming affectionate. "She had everything planned all this time and hid it from everyone. You should talk to her."

"I will," Arthur assured him, squeezing back.

They stared at each other for a moment in silence, exchanging a million words without uttering a sound.

"Hey, you two love birds." They turned at the sound of Gwaine's voice, who was eyeing them in a conspiratory way. "You better put your pants back on, they're coming."

Arthur rolled his eyes, but he let go of Merlin's hand and took another step back, thrusting his hands into his pockets just as the new staff left the room, led by Morgana.

"And now let's go to the eighth floor, meet the President's office," Morgana said as she led them up the stairs, followed by a small buzz. "With a little luck, that will be the first and only time you'll ever see it. At least until one of you becomes a manager," she teased, earning some nervous laughter.

"Wish me luck," Merlin said, winking at Arthur before following the others toward the stairs.

Arthur's smile died slowly as Merlin stepped out of sight. "Morgana," he called before he regretted it.

"You can go upstairs and wait in the lobby," Morgana instructed them, waiting for the last of the newbies to disappear before approaching Arthur again with her haughty pose. "Something wrong?" she asked, keeping her tone formal.

"Yes, there is something wrong." Arthur nodded, wincing. "I was an idiot, but you're probably used to it by now."

"Well, I've known you since you were five, so... Yes, I'd say I'm used to it," she said wryly.

"I'm sorry, Morgana," Arthur said sincerely. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have doubted your loyalty."

"No, you shouldn’t," Morgana agreed, her chin raised proudly. "You should know that I wouldn't give up on Merlin that easily."

Arthur looked away from his sister in shame and regret.

"Actually, until this morning I was determined to make you pay for ever doubting it," Morgana continued. "At least until I learned that you've given up the presidency on my behalf."

Arthur looked up at his sister in surprise. "What? I didn’t-" Arthur began to deny it, but Morgana rolled her eyes on him.

"Arthur, I'm no fool," she said, coming closer, her expression soft despite her words. "I know I was never our father's first choice, so it wasn't so difficult to add two and two."

"Morgana," Arthur sighed, "only a fool wouldn't see that you're much more qualified for the job than I am."

"Christ, Arthur." Morgana feigned astonishment. "First you stand up against Uther on your own, now you call him a fool! If you keep going like this, you'll get out of your nappies in no time!"

"Oh, shut up," Arthur feigned more outrage than he really felt.

Morgana laughed, turning away from him. "See you later, little brother," she said. "Oh, and don't go thinking we're even just because of that! You definitely owe me one."

Arthur arched an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

"I just got my cable bill and I don't remember watching any movie called 'The Magic Hole' lately," she said, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Lately?" Arthur asked, suspicious. "Have you ever watched any movie like that one?"

"Don't ask what you don't want to know, little brother," she said before climbing up the stairs.

Arthur threw back his head as he laughed.

.M.

' _ Your father just invited me to have lunch at his house on Saturday!!!??? O.o' _ '

Arthur smiled as he read the message a few minutes later, sitting in his office.

' _ Oh really? Did you accept the invitation? _ '

' _ I'm not sure I answered the question. I mean, I'm not sure I said something intelligible. Arthur, have you forgotten to tell me something? _ '

' _ Later _ ,' Arthur replied. ' _ Don’t you have work to do? What will your boss think if you keep typing on your phone the first day of work? _ '

' _ My boss is a decent person, he’d certainly understand. Unlike my former boss, who would have me count the sheets on a ream of paper before feeding the printer. _ '

' _ Your old boss seemed to know what he was doing. You’ve got to tell me more about him later. _ '

' _ There’s not much to tell. I could sum it up in a few words: prattish, cocky asshole. _ '

' _ Idiot brat. _ '

' _ Cabbage head. _ '

' _ Buffoon. _ '

...

.oOo. Merlin .oOo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _¹ Just give me a reason - Pink feat Nate Ruess._
> 
> ² As Lexi pointed out, this is the point where you go back and re-read the whole thing so you don't cry when it's over. Her words, not mine. XD
> 
> **E.N.:** Omg I'm so sad that it's over!!!! Amy I'm gonna cryyyyy!! Y'all readers are so much fun! I'm surprised that my southerness didn't come out much during all of this btw. I'm proud a' that. ;) All joking and dramatics aside I really have enjoyed going through all of the process with you. I hope that you continue to use me as your beta for any future fics you might do as well! And I hope that the readers continue to enjoy your fics and continue shipping Merthur because I know I will be!!!
> 
> **A.N.:** It’s been a pleasure, Lexi. You’ve been great, but I’ll leave the crying for the epilogue. And I’ll certainly need your beta powers in the future! =D


	29. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 

**9 months later**

Merlin looked at the picture frame on the shelf, turning it a little to the left before stepping back, tilting his head this way and that as he assessed it. The photo was taken by a professional photographer at Morgana's wedding, and both Arthur and Merlin wore suits and ties, smiling at the camera as if they were the newlyweds themselves.

"What do you think?" Merlin asked as he heard Arthur coming out of the closet, staring at him through the reflection in the wall mirror.

"And since when does my opinion matter?" Arthur replied dryly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Arthur, please." He was about to appeal to his boyfriend's sense of reason when the bell rang, causing him to startle.

"I'll get it," Arthur said, already heading for the door.

"Where should I put this?" Merlin asked slightly exasperatedly, pointing to a box that was blocking the TV.

"Put it in the closet, I'll take a look at it later," Arthur said without looking back and left.

Merlin bit his lower lip, looking around. It had been a week since they'd moved into Morgana's old apartment, and things were still far from being totally in order, but at least they had managed to hide the most part of the mess. Merlin lifted the box with a huff of surprise when he realized it was heavier than it looked and brought it to Arthur's closet - Merlin had his own closet now - grunting as he set it on the floor. Just out of curiosity, Merlin peeked over its contents. There were several worn-out notebooks, and his eyes widened as he recognized the cover of one of them.

"Oh, Arthur," Merlin smiled, feeling some of his frustration dissolve as he smoothed the cover before opening it, flipping through the pages filled with their colleagues congratulations and well-wishes on Arthur's twenty-ninth birthday. Merlin bit his bottom lip as he reached the last page, where he knew he'd find his own handwriting and looked down when something golden slipped from the page to the floor. "Oh my God," Merlin exclaimed as he bent down to pick up the smoothed wrapping of the Starbucks' chocolate coin which he'd given Arthur exactly one year ago. There was also a photography of their visit to the orphanage, and as Merlin saw Drea posing for the camera beside Arthur, he remembered the little girl’s delighted face at seeing all the toys they had  donated.

"Merlin?" He heard Morgana's voice coming from the bedroom and quickly put the notebook and photo back in the box, dragging it under a shelf away from prying eyes, breathing deeply and blinking rapidly to dispel the sting in his eyes.

"Here," Merlin said as he left the closet, smiling at his boyfriend's sister.

Morgana left the bags she was carrying on the bed before hugging him. "Hey, it seems everything's already sorted out up here," she said, looking around. "Loved the decor, by the way."

"Thank you." Merlin replied awkwardly. "I can't believe I finally have a television in my room! I used to dream about it when I was a kid."

"Oh, how cute." Morgana squeezed his hand before releasing it. "Although I don't think Arthur’ll be thrilled to compete with the telly for your attention every night." She seemed to consider it for a moment before she waved a hand, as if that didn't matter. "Ah, here are your presents." She reached for the bags. "This is Arthur's and this is yours."

"Mine?" Merlin's eyes widened. "But I'm not the birthday boy!"

"Consider it a welcome gift to the new home, then," Morgana said.

Merlin braced himself as he peered into the bag, feeling appalled as he caught a glimpse of lace. He remembered seeing something similar to this on a shop window during one of his trips to the mall with Morgana for Gwen's bridal shower.

"Well, perhaps Arthur'll appreciate your gift more than you yourself, to be fair," Morgana mused, watching Merlin's reaction.

"What the bloody fucking hell did you-" Merlin said, feeling the blood rush to his cheekbones as he closed the bag again, pulling it away, as if it contained some radioactive material. "Morgana!"

"No need to thank me, dear," she winked.

"I told you I’d never wear something like this!"

"No, you said you'd never  _ purchase _ something like this, so I figured I might give it to you," she said.

Merlin groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "Morgana, I can't believe you did this!"

"And you love me all the more for it."

"I can't see why I would," Merlin said, but allowed her to grab his hands, bringing them away from his face.

"Hey, you don't have to wear it, but you should, honestly. It'll look perfect on you and I'm sure Arthur will drool all over you if he so much as dreams about you in this outfit."

"I don't think I can do this," Merlin admitted. "I would die of embarrassment."

"Don’t be silly, you’ll be absolutely stunning on this, trust me. Besides, I've seen you wearing makeup and I know what I'm talking about," Morgana thrusted her chin up, putting the bag back next to him when the doorbell rang again downstairs. "Look, you don't have to try it right away, just think about it, but make sure you tell me how it was when you decide to give it a try." She winked and got up. "Well, I'll see if your mother needs help in the kitchen. You coming?”

Merlin nodded, though he knew he'd hardly share that kind of information with Morgana and hid the bags inside the closet, taking a deep breath before climbing down the stairs. His gaze met Arthur's as he entered the living room, but the blonde turned away, continuing his conversation with Leon as if nothing had disturbed it. Resigned, Merlin forced himself to smile as he welcomed their guests.

Gwen and Lance had arrived with little Katie ¹  in her mother’s arms, and Merlin came up to greet them. He liked children, but he wasn't much of a baby fan. Still, he could understand why everyone cooed around Katie after peering over Morgana's shoulder, watching her cute little face and chubby legs.

After offering drinks to the newly arrived, Merlin began to set the table. Gwen left Lance in charge of taking care of the baby, and she and Morgana joined Merlin and Hunith in the kitchen, which was much larger than the one in Arthur's old apartment, with a dining table for eight. Arthur had arranged - albeit unwillingly - another table set up on the porch, but some of their guests would have to eat on the counter or on the couch. Merlin had only invited their family and closest friends, yet it was still more people than they could properly accommodate for a meal.

Arthur hadn't been thrilled by the prospect of throwing a birthday party, however small it was. He had thought he would escape the uproar this year since his birthday had fallen on a Saturday, but Gwaine had set up the collection for donations at Pendragon Consulting the day before, as usual, so he hadn't escaped from that either. Anyway, Merlin had argued that they’d have to do something in order to inaugurate their new apartment, so they could very well take the opportunity to invite them over for lunch and be done with it.

Now, however, Merlin found himself regretting pushing the situation on Arthur when he seemed determined to avoid Merlin for the duration of the day. Merlin wasn't used to throwing parties. In fact, the whole hosting thing was making him nervous, and Arthur's attitude only turned matters worse. Taking advantage of Mordred and Kara’s arrival, Merlin approached to offer a beer for Arthur as a peace offering, but Arthur merely dismissed it with a wave of his hand, not bothering to interrupt his chat with his friends.

Merlin went out onto the porch to sip his beer, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. At first, when Morgana said she was moving out and offered them her old apartment, Merlin was reluctant because of the height, but he found that he could deal with his fear in exchange for having that beautiful view every day, especially at sunset and at night as the city filled with lights like a starry sky.

"Did something happen?" Morgana asked as she joined him.

"Ah, just as usual." Merlin shrugged. "You know your brother. You know how he gets on his birthday."

"Yes, I know him very well, but the least he could do was have a little consideration for your effort."

Merlin offered her a grateful smile, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about it, if only because he didn't believe talking to Morgana would solve anything, since she didn't know the whole story. The truth was he felt like the blame was on himself for everything that had led to this.

"So, how's your new home?" Merlin asked, changing the subject.

"I have nothing to complain about." Morgana sighed. "Or rather, I didn't, until I met the front neighbor," she shuddered. "Christ, what an unpleasant man. The fact that he reminds me of Cenred doesn't help much either."

Merlin smiled, shaking his head. One of the first steps Morgana had taken upon assuming the presidency of the company had been to downgrade Cenred to a simple analyst again, naming another person as the accounting manager instead. As it was only to be expected, Cenred didn't take on the humiliation and resigned shortly thereafter. There were those who said that he and Sophia Feix - who had been fired after being caught sharing confidential information with the competition - were making a partnership to start a consultancy business of their own, but Morgana and Arthur didn't seem concerned with the prospect.

"Have you already ordered the babies to fill all those spare rooms?" Merlin teased, and Morgana glared at him.

"Don't get me started, you too," she warned, grabbing the beer bottle from his hand for a sip. "If it was up to Leon to decide, he’d probably have his own football team," she offered the bottle back, but Merlin declined. "Why do you think he made a point of us moving into a house?"

"You do want to have kids, though?" Merlin looked at her curiously.

"I do," Morgana nodded, her gaze softening. "But I'm thinking about two, at most."

Merlin followed her line of vision into the living room, finding Arthur with Katie on his arms, smiling and rocking on his own feet as if trying to make her sleep. The scene made Merlin feel a mixture of tenderness and apprehension, getting a chill down his spine that had nothing to do with the muffled temperature that morning.

"How about you?" he heard Morgana asking by his side.

"What?"

Morgana regarded him curiously. "Do you want kids?"

Merlin turned his eyes to the living room again, watching as Arthur smiled and brought his finger up to Katie's nose, his hand seeming abnormally large compared to the baby's head. Merlin swallowed. He couldn't even picture in his head himself holding such a fragile creature without imagining a thousand horrible accidents happening, let alone have one depending on him to survive.

"I don't know," Merlin admitted, frowning. "Do you think Arthur wants to have children?"

"Haven’t you ever talked about it?" Morgana asked, to which Merlin shook his head slowly. "Well, you're too young anyway, perhaps that's why Arthur never brought the subject, but you should ask him if you really want to know."

Merlin nodded, though his thoughts were far away. Until recently, Merlin hadn't even imagined that he would consider marrying anyone. He liked the idea of getting married and had even fantasized about it a few times - once even dressed his mother's old wedding gown and staged a wedding with Will, something he hoped Arthur would never even dream of - but it was one thing to dream of marrying a stranger in the future, and it was something entirely different to picture yourself at the altar with someone in particular. Ever since Morgana's marriage, however, he had started to think about it, and the possibility of marrying Arthur in the not-so-distant future didn't seem all that absurd. Quite the opposite, actually.

Still, the possibility that Arthur wanted children frightened him to the core. Perhaps Morgana was right about him being too young to think about it.

Merlin had his musings interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He excused himself and rushed to answer the door.

"Mr. Pendragon!" Merlin exclaimed, his eyes widening as he saw Uther standing at his door, wearing light, day-to-day clothes, with Catrina right at his side. "I-I'm glad you came!" he said as soon as he regained his ability to speak.

"I hope we're not too late," Uther said rather formally, handing a bottle of wine to a stunned Merlin.

"No, not at all," Merlin assured him. "Not everyone has arrived yet."

"You look wonderful, my dear," Catrina said, catching him by surprise as she grabbed his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "That's a nice shirt you're wearing."

"Oh, thanks." Merlin blinked, glancing down at his shirt, avoiding the scrutiny of his boyfriend's father. "Arthur gave it to me as a gift."

"And we both know he has great taste, not only in clothes," Catrina continued, winking. "I like your new visual, by the way; the light beard makes you look more mature, you should definitely keep it. Here, we brought something for our birthday boy."

"You didn't have to," Merlin said as he accepted the bag, "but, please, come in!" he stepped aside for them to enter and took a deep breath as he closed the door, trying to put a smile on his face as he faced them again. "Make yourselves at home!"

"Oh, you did a great job with the decor!" Catrina exclaimed, looking around as Uther stepped forward to greet Hunith, who had finally taken off her apron and joined the other guests. "I always found your old apartment a bit impersonal."

"Erm... thank you," Merlin said a bit awkwardly as she headed into the living room. As soon as she turned her back on him, Merlin waved his arm to get Arthur's attention. "Your father's here!" he mouthed.

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, and he moved to greet his father and Catrina.

"I thought you said he wouldn't come," Hunith said into his ear as the newly arrived followed Arthur to the living room, greeting the other guests.

Merlin had been reluctant to accept his mother's help with the cooking, assuring her that he could take care of everything on his own, but Hunith had insisted on helping, arguing that he’d already have plenty to worry about as a host. Now Merlin couldn't help but feel grateful for her stubbornness.

"I was sure he wouldn't show up!" Merlin exclaimed, still dazed.

"Arthur thought the same, apparently," Hunith said, watching the way Arthur scratched his head as he introduced his friends to his stepmother.

Before Merlin could respond, the doorbell rang again.

"Do you want me to take this upstairs for you?" Gwen offered, pointing to the bag. "Arthur insisted that I put Katie to sleep in the guest room. She's tired, but she won't sleep with all this noise."

Grateful, Merlin accepted the help and made a point of telling her to make Katie comfortable in the upstairs room. Merlin startled at feeling a hand on his shoulder, but relaxed at seeing it was only his mother.

“Hey,” she cupped his face then, smiling tenderly. "Relax, Merlin. You're doing great."

Merlin nodded, though only to assure her that everything was fine, then moved to open the door.

"Merlin!" Gwaine cried out at the sight of him, pulling him into a hug. “I missed you!”

Merlin opened his mouth to point out that they had seen each other only yesterday, but what came out of his mouth was something entirely different. "Uther's here!" He said in a conspiratorial tone, still astounded.

"What? Really?" Gwaine frowned, passing him as he entered, not waiting to be invited. "Where's Elyan? He owes me ten bucks!"

"Hey." Percy smiled at Merlin, handing him another bag.

Merlin sighed, resigned. "I thought the reason we made all those donations yesterday was so that no one would feel the need to buy gifts for Arthur."

Percy shrugged. "No one likes going to a birthday party empty handed."

Before Merlin could close the door, he heard the sound of the elevator and turned to see Will coming out of it with a determined expression on his face, gripping his phone in one hand.

"Explain this to me now," Will said, not bothering to greet him before thrusting his phone under Merlin's nose.

"What- Oh!" Merlin recognized the photo he had posted on Twitter the day before and smiled, pointing to the photo. "Well, this is me and this one with a silly face here is Arthur; this other guy here's Ricardo Regufe, from Nike, and the tallest is-"

"Cristiano Ronaldo!" Will lost his temper, shaking his phone and nearly smashing it on Merlin's face. "CR7², Merlin, when were you going to tell me- How did you- When have you-"

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Merlin said, laughing at his friend's excitement. "Remember that launch party I said I was attending with Arthur on Thursday? Apparently, he was there doing publicity."

" _ Fuck! _ " Will said, pulling at his own hair. "Thursday? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I forgot!" Merlin lied cheekily. In fact, Arthur had asked him not to say anything, because he wanted to tell Will in person just to watch his dumbfounded face.

"Oh man, I can't fucking believe it!" Will groaned. "That prick’s a fucking show off, but I swear I'm going to take that shit eating grin out of his face today when I finish him off at Fifa-"

"Oh, no, you won't-" Merlin started to say, but the elevator doors opened again and the two of them turned to see who was stepping out of it.

"Elena!" Merlin exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

"Hey, Merlin!" She said in her soft voice and easy smile. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Glad you made it!" Merlin said, stepping forward to hug her. "Arthur'll be thrilled to see you."

"Good, because I have some thrilling news," she winked, greeting a catatonic Will with a nod as she passed him.

Merlin led her inside, accepting the gift she had brought, and told her to be at home. When Will made to follow her like a puppy, Merlin pulled him back into the foyer, pushing the door nearly close behind him.

"Will," he said warningly, but Will still had a lovestruck look on his face.

"Have I died and gone to heaven?" Will asked, trying to peek through the crack in the door.

"Will!" Merlin hissed through clenched teeth. "This is Arthur's ex-girlfriend, Elena."

It seemed to wake Will up a bit. "What? Really?" he looked confused. "That... angel is Pendragon's ex-girlfriend? How is this possible? How could he have dropped that beauty for... for you?"

"Will, listen to what I'm going to say," Merlin said, shaking him. "It's Arthur's birthday today, his father and his stepmother are here. My mother's here too and Gaius must come soon. If you don't behave, I won't fucking hesitate about kicking you out, and I mean there’ll be actual  _ kicking _ involved. On second thought, I'll probably just ask my mum and Gaius to deal with you."

Will flinched after that. "You wouldn't do that to your best friend."

"Watch me if I don't." Merlin released him with a rough push, then smoothed his friend’s now wrinkled T-shirt before opening the door and motioning for him to enter.

.M.

Gaius was the last to arrive, and lunch was served shortly thereafter. The dining room was occupied by family members - plus Gaius, who was practically family - and the others were spread around the apartment, talking animatedly. Merlin couldn't focus entirely on the conversation around him, too worried in making sure his guests had everything they needed and keeping half his attention on Will, who had sat next to Elena by the kitchen counter and kept eying her like he couldn't believe his own luck to be able to watch a goddess doing something so mundane as eating. Besides, there was still the fact that Arthur was treating him with open coldness.

"Hunith, you've officially outdone yourself with this food," Arthur said, looking beyond Merlin to where Hunith had sat down beside her son.

The rest of the table seconded the compliment right away.

Uther raised his glass of wine. "I haven't had the pleasure to enjoy your cooking before, Mrs. Emrys, but I can tell you for sure everything's divine," Uther turned to his wife. “Right, my dear?”

"It's perfectly delicious," Catrina agreed, raising her glass as well.

"Thank you," Hunith said modestly, but then nudged Merlin, sounding worried as she whispered so that no one else could hear them. "You think she didn't like it? I haven't seen her put anything in her mouth! She seems to be just pushing the food around in her dish!"

"Mom, it's delicious." Merlin reassured her. "Don't worry about Catrina, I've seen her do the same thing at family lunches, she must have some eating disorder or something."

"Are you sure?" Hunith said worriedly, but seemed more at ease as she turned to answer something Morgana said.

"-have become of your old apartment?" Uther was asking and it took some time for Merlin to realize the man was addressing him.

"Oh, Arthur put it up for sale," Merlin replied, looking down at his plate awkwardly. At least he hadn't stuttered this time. Merlin doubted he would ever get used to the way Uther seemed interested in asking for his opinion on things lately.

"Are you selling it?" Elena asked, from the counter, before Uther could say anything else and Merlin was grateful for the interruption. "I've been looking out for an apartment!"

"Have you?" Arthur sounded as surprised as Merlin felt. "Are you moving back to London?"

"Well, that's what I've been wanting to tell you, actually," Elena continued, drawing everyone's attention at the table. "The company I'm working for is opening a branch here and I've been appointed Executive Manager!"

"Wow, that's great, Elena!" It was Merlin who stated first, followed by everyone's agreement, except for Arthur and Uther, who frowned in concern.

"So now we're officially direct competitors?" Arthur said, arching an eyebrow.

"I guess we are." Elena shrugged, good-humored.

"Why, don't mind my brother's bad manners," Morgana said, turning to face her. "Welcome back, and I might say, a little competition is always good for business."

"I can help with the moving," Will offered eagerly. "I live near Merlin's old apartment."

"Oh really?" Arthur snorted, staring at Will suspiciously. "Funny, I remember you complaining every time about how far Merlin lived from you when he moved in with me."

Will shot him a murderous look, poking a piece of shank in his plate with more force than necessary.

"Oh, well, I still don't know if I can afford your apartment," Elena finally said. "I was thinking about something smaller, preferably closer to the subway or train station, since I'll have to go back and forth from France periodically."

"I heard Gwaine say he's selling his apartment, too," Leon commented. "It's not too far from Arthur's, but it's closer to the subway.

"Gwaine’s selling his apartment?" Merlin was surprised, turning to Leon. "Why?"

"Looks like he and Percy are looking for some place around here." Leon offered.

"Oh, that's great," Arthur commented, sounding strangely hurt. "All my friends are moving closer to me and meanwhile, my boyfriend is working out a way to go to America!"

"Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed as everyone seemed to hold their breath for a moment, the silverware freezing halfway to their mouths, their eyes wide.

"America?" Hunith frowned at her son. "Is it true?"

Merlin swallowed hard, blushing as he felt all eyes on him. Even the conversation on the living room seemed to have died out, though he could still hear Gwaine's laughter coming from the porch.

"It's nothing like that," Merlin said, casting a resentful look at Arthur, but the blond avoided looking back at him, taking a sip of his wine. "One of my tutors called me yesterday asking if I was interested in signing up for an economics conference in Boston."

"Wow!" Gwen exclaimed from the couch, confirming Merlin's suspicions that she and Lance were listening to the conversation.

"Merlin, this is fantastic!" Gaius exclaimed, and several people agreed with him, including Hunith, who gave Merlin's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I attended a congress there, once, remember Uther?" Gaius continued, turning to his former boss. "They hardly accept ungraded lecturers."

"Exactly," Merlin agreed. "It doesn't mean I'm going to be called in, if I chose to go on and sign up. Besides, even if I'm to be called in, I'd probably have to stay for a day or two tops."

"Sure, sure, but tell me," Arthur said, pointing his fork at Gaius, "why exactly do people go to these conferences?"

"Well, to get acquainted with the area’s tendencies, make contacts, exchange experiences..."

"Watch out for promising rising talents and new job proposals," Morgana completed, from the other end of the table and Arthur pointed his fork at her next.

"Exactly," he said. "You think I don't know the kind of audience that usually attends these conferences? Multinationals scouts with obscene job offers so tempting you’d sell your soul to them in a heartbeat. I bet they wouldn't think twice before inviting Merlin to stay there or even go anywhere else in the world!"

Those words finally dragged Merlin out of his stupor and he stared at his boyfriend as if seeing him for the first time. Until that moment, Merlin had thought Arthur was having one of his jealousy fits only because of the perspective of Merlin being the center of attention for the duration of the lecture - assuming that Merlin were indeed to attend the damned conference, to begin with - but now he was starting to understand the true motive of his sulking.

"Arthur," Merlin said, trying to call him to reason, "assuming that I'm actually called to the congress and considering the  _ unlikely _ possibility that I get a million tempting job offers, it doesn't mean that I'll take any of them!"

"Why bother going, then?" Arthur returned angrily.

Merlin opened his mouth to give a crossed answer, but was interrupted by none other than Uther Pendragon.

"Arthur, be reasonable," Uther reproached, glaring at his son. "You know that's not all this is about, it's about Merlin's well deserved recognition. Just the fact that his tutor has chosen his work among all others’ is a testimony to how outstanding he actually is. He’s too young to get settled professionally, so what if he wants to take on bigger challenges? There's not much that Pendragon Consulting can do for his career and maybe it's good for him to keep some options for the future."

Merlin blinked, perplexed, at the silence that followed those words. At his side, Arthur's mouth was slightly open in mute stupefaction.

"I second that, father," Morgana broke the silence, looking genuinely proud, followed by several exclamations and affirmations, but Merlin's eyes were fixed on Arthur, whose expression became suddenly sour.

"Excuse me," Arthur said and got up before Merlin could stop him, climbing the stairs to their bedroom.

Feeling his stomach sink, Merlin turned at a soft touch on his arm and found his mother staring at him with a small smile. "You can go, dear,” she said. “I’ll ask Morgana to help me serve dessert."

Merlin nodded gratefully. He was about to get up when he met Uther's searching eye. After a brief hesitation, Merlin offered him a small nod of appreciation. The man's frown softened and he turned to say something to with his wife. Merlin took a deep breath and excused himself as he got up.

.M.

Arthur splashed some water on his face to try and calm himself and looked at his reflection, grimacing when he realized he had soiled his new shirt. Morgana would be mad if she saw that. He towelled his face and went back to his bedroom, crossing it towards the sliding doors and stepping out to the balcony. It was hot outside but not to the point of being unpleasant. He leaned over the parapet, watching the traffic below and trying to sort his thoughts out.

He couldn't decide if he was more angry with his father or with himself. In recent months, Uther had proved quite reasonable and much calmer than Arthur ever thought possible. He had no doubt that his retirement - as well as his marriage - were doing him good, but sometimes Arthur found himself wondering how much of it was just a facade. Uther had proved that he was willing to win back his son's confidence, and he was shrewd enough to know that the best way to earn that was to treat Merlin with respect and consideration. Still, Arthur had a hard time believing he was doing it for more than self-interest. Following the same principle, Arthur tolerated family dinners and made some effort to be polite and courteous to his father because he knew how much Merlin valued a good relationship with his family.

However, Arthur could never have imagined that Uther would be willing to defend Merlin with such conviction as he had just done. And the worst part was that Uther had defended him from his own son's petty behavior! Arthur was ashamed to remember what he'd done, the way he accused Merlin unfairly in front of everyone.

The truth was that he was frustrated, starting with that damn party. All he wanted was to have Merlin for himself all weekend, but Merlin had insisted on that stupid family-and-close-friends lunch, and Arthur had seen no alternative but to agree. Then, the night before, Merlin had mentioned that Boston Congress and he had sounded so excited about the prospect of putting an ocean between them that Arthur had felt annoyed. All of that, coupled with the fact that Merlin had cut his hair the day before and the dark mood that always hit him on his birthday, culminated in that shameful scene. Now, all Arthur wanted most was to go back in time to the beginning of that week and to start all over again so as not to have to remember Merlin's hurt face just moments ago.

Arthur heard the bedroom door opening, followed by Merlin's soft footsteps as he approached, but remained motionless, waiting for the confrontation he knew to be inevitable. He clenched his teeth tightly, preparing for the moment when Merlin would yell at him, but he was caught by surprise by the soft touch on the sides of his body as Merlin hugged him from behind, nosing into the curve of his neck and planting a soft kiss there.

"Hey," Merlin murmured, and only then Arthur allowed himself to relax, covering one of Merlin's hands with his own.

They were silent for a moment and Arthur could imagine Merlin with his eyes closed, even without looking at him over his shoulder. He knew Merlin avoided getting too close to the parapet as much as he could, and it made him feel even more moved by the boyfriend's gesture.

"You know you can't get rid of me that easy, don't you?" Merlin spoke next to his ear and Arthur closed his eyes for a moment.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, turning to face him as Merlin stepped back, keeping his hands on Arthur's waist. "As much as it pains me to say this, my father is right. My whole life has been at Pendragon Consulting and it will always be, but yours doesn't have to be always there. In fact, it wouldn't be fair to keep you from trying to move on when we both know you can get a much better opportunity elsewhere."

"It still doesn't mean I want to be anywhere else, Arthur."

"But you should want to!" Arthur insisted. "You're nineteen, Merlin! Alas, answer me this, are you happy at Pendragon Consulting? Are you honestly happy?"

"Arthur, you know I’ve always wanted to-" Merlin started to say, but Arthur interrupted him.

"I know it's what you wanted, but now that you got it, is it all you've really expected it to be?"

Merlin looked away and Arthur sighed. As much as he wished to believe Merlin was professionally satisfied, he knew things weren't so simple. Merlin never complained about anything, but Arthur knew he was suffering from prejudice both inside and outside the company.

They didn't hide their relationship anymore. Quite the contrary: they were going out to have lunch together whenever possible and Arthur made a point of taking Merlin as his escort whenever he attended an event for the company. People used to respect Arthur for his position within the company and, as far as he knew it, no one had ever made a pejorative comment or being openly discriminative towards Merlin, but it was the details that bothered him.

People didn't believe Merlin had won his position within the company for his own capacity. As much as Morgana had made the whole recruitment by the book, few people had access to that kind of information and the gossip spread much faster and reached many more ears than the actual facts. People didn't take Merlin seriously, both employees and customers, and Arthur could only imagine how much Merlin was suffering from it. Especially since Arthur knew Merlin was much more capable than the vast majority of his staff. Arthur knew very well what it was like, for he had suffered that kind of prejudice himself - and he was still subjected to it, but he had already grown accustomed to it.

"I'm sorry," Arthur finally said, feeling a weight being lifted from his chest almost instantly. "I know I've been a selfish prick today, I know you've overworked yourself to do all this for me for my birthday, and I know it's not fair to want you to settle for what you have just so as not to risk losing you, but... When I think that someday it won't be enough for you..." It was Arthur's turn to look away, his throat closing up.

"Hey..." Merlin touched his face softly, seeking his gaze. “Look, maybe you have a point  here, maybe I won't settle for this in the long term. I mean, today this is the best I could've hoped for: I have a flexible schedule that provides me to finish my degree and I'm well-paid for what I do. In the near future, after I graduate… it's possible that I’ll want to consider other opportunities, weigh their advantages and disadvantages to make my choices, but Arthur... As far as I’m concerned, you’ll always be a constant in my life. Whatever I come to choose in the future, I want to believe that you'll be there, by my side!"

Arthur was about to say to say what had come into his mind that very minute, but he closed his mouth again in terrified amazement.

It wasn't the first time those same words had threatened to come out of his mouth. In fact, since Morgana's marriage, Arthur had been thinking about it more and more often. He had already been to a store several times to examine some engagement and wedding rings, but he had always been convinced that this wasn't a good idea. Merlin was so very young, why would he want to get married so soon? Besides, it was just a formality, they already lived as a couple, so why rush things?

And then Merlin would say or do something like this and the words would echo in his mind once again.

_ Marry me, Merlin. _

Right now, though, the only thing that stopped Arthur from saying them was the fact that he wasn't prepared for this. He swore to himself that he would make arrangements to fix it as soon as possible and, truth be told, Arthur would love to see Merlin parading with his ring on his finger.

Arthur took Merlin's hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of his fingers. "I promise I'll be there for you, baby. Whatever you decide."

Merlin smiled in that way that formed little wrinkles around his eyes and made Arthur feel the luckiest of all people. "I know, Arthur, I know," Merlin assured him. "Besides, you know I've never set foot on a plane, right? I still don't know if I'm going to assign for the Congress, but I was wondering if you'd agree to take a few days to join me if I were to?" he said, biting his lower lip. "You know, to hold my hand during the flight?"

Arthur pretended to consider it for a moment.

"Well, it's a fairly long flight for a first time," he concluded.

"Exactly."

"You might need to extend your stay a bit to recover. We could rent a car and ride through the east coast, perhaps? After all, it would be a waste if you were to travel across the Atlantic and not visit New York City."

"If you insist." Merlin smiled and kissed his lips, holding out the contact for as long as possible before pulling back to face him. "I'm sorry to have pushed for this party. I swear I'll never dare do this again, ‘cause I'm a terrible host."

"Who said that?" Arthur was indignant. "Will? Gwaine? Just say the name and leave the rest to me."

"Nobody said that." Merlin laughed, shaking his head, and his hair swayed gently with the movement. Though he had trimmed his hair a little bit, Arthur had to admit that the strands were still quite long, framing his face perfectly. "It's just... I know I'm not good for this business of throwing out parties, having people over-"

"Sorry to break this to you, but you’re completely and utterly wrong. You're a great host, you hear me?" Arthur asked as they heard a burst of laughter from the balcony downstairs. "Our guests are having a great time, there is plenty to drink and the food is perfect, nobody has anything to complain about, and if anybody does complain, let me deal with them."

"Okay," Merlin conceded, though he didn't seem very convinced. "Now what do you think of going downstairs?"

Arthur pulled him by the waist, joining their hips. "Is this absolutely necessary?"

"Well, we could lock the door and wait until they left, but I think we’d be starving before Gwaine gets bored enough to leave."

Arthur sighed in resignation. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm going to have to change before coming down." He pointed to the patch of gravy on his shirt before Merlin's questioning gaze. "Morgana’ll kill me if she sees this."

"All right, you better take it off, then," Merlin said, already unraveling their limbs and entering the room, moving toward Arthur's closet. "And leave it on the bed, I’ll take care of that stain later."

Arthur followed him back inside as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Do you happen to know how to remove stains, by any means?" Arthur asked.

"You'd be amazed at the things I learned at my internship!" Merlin replied from inside the closet.

Arthur threw his head back as he laughed.

.M.

"Arthur, please play a match with Will before I throw him over the balcony," Merlin said as he pulled Arthur into a corner later.

Merlin looked slightly disheveled, his hair shaggy, his shirt crumpled, and a bottle of beer in his hand - Arthur suspected it wasn't the first nor the last one. Now that the most illustrious guests were gone - and by illustrious Arthur referred to his father and his stepmother, his hopefully-soon-to-be mother-in-law and Gaius - Merlin seemed more relaxed. Lance and Gwen had also gone away with little Katie, which justified the considerably increasing noise, including one of Merlin's most dancing playlists.

"Why would I do that?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

Merlin rolled his eyes, looking around before he approached to whisper in his ear. "Let's just say you won't regret it."

"Hmm." Arthur pretended to think for a moment. "Fine, I'll help you out with this, just because I'm a nice guy and you’ll do fine to remember this when we get rid of this awful people."

"Oh, and for God's sake, see if you let him win this time, otherwise he won't give me peace anyway."

" _ What? _ " Arthur feigned indignation, purposefully raising his voice. "Now you're having me on. Why would I let Will win?"

"Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed in a mixture of disbelief and outrage.

" _ Hey _ , who says I need him to let me win?" Will spat from across the room. He'd basically been torn between flirting with Elena and calling Arthur a coward for never settling a rematch. Arthur would have been happy to continue ignoring the little shit if he hadn't been seriously concerned that Elena was very drunk and apparently giving into Will’s flirting, if the way she was making eyes at him was something to go by.

"Hey Merlin, where did you hide the chips?" they heard Gwaine's voice from the kitchen. "I'm pretty sure I saw you bring a box full of them when we were helping with the moving in."

"Gwaine, stay the hell away from my kitchen," Merlin said, already moving away, but not before pointing an accusing finger at Arthur. "And you'll pay for this later, mark my words."

Arthur sipped his whiskey to hide his crooked smile.

"Hey, guys!" They all turned to Elyan, who struggled to speak between bursts of laughter, holding something in his hand. "Look what I found in the bathroom closet!"

"What?" Gwaine said, abandoning his quest for the kitchen to retrieve the box from Elyan's hand and then it was his turn to cackle. "Mordred, who’d have guessed, eh?"

Apparently, there was a box of hair dye with Mordred's face stamped on the packaging. The box passed from hand to hand while Mordred turned red as chili. Even Kara seemed to hold back the laughter. Mordred cast a look of betrayal to Arthur, who spread his hands in front of his body. "Hey, don't look at me. I have no idea how this got in my bathroom."

"Wait," Gwaine was surprised. "If it wasn't you, then who..." He looked at Merlin, who was examining his nails closely.

"I was beginning to think no one would find it." Merlin shrugged and Gwaine stared at him. "I'm working on a project for Edwin Muirden and he might have mentioned that Mordred had done a job for him as a model."

"Merlin!" Mordred exclaimed indignantly. "How could you?"

"What can I say? I must be spending too much time with Gwaine," Merlin said, and then he couldn't contain his laughter when Gwaine and Mordred tackled him for completely different reasons. Arthur was preparing to intervene - not because he thought Merlin was in danger, since he and Mordred had been fairly close lately, but because Gwaine and Mordred were attacking Merlin with tickling and no one could tickle Merlin other than Arthur - when Will stepped in front of him.

"About that revenge, Pendragon," Will said folding his arms.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Go start the PlayStation, Seger," Arthur said, pushing Will out of his way. "And get ready to lose. Again."

He turned his back on Will then and moved to take Gwaine's hands off his boyfriend.

.M.

Some time later, Will was rejoicing that he had won the last match - even though he had lost the previous two - and Arthur was pretending to be annoyed that he had lost when Merlin pulled him onto the now deserted balcony.

"You let him win, didn't you?" Merlin asked, pressing him against the nearest wall, his mouth inches from Arthur's.

Arthur could smell the beer on his breath. "I might have," he said, letting a crooked smile take over his face before Merlin kissed him, rutting against him.

"You definitely won't regret it," Merlin promised before stepping away, and Arthur had to adjust his erection in his pants to better hide it before returning inside.

"Ah, there he is!" Gwaine said, wrapping an arm around Arthur's shoulders. "I was just suggesting we moved this party to a gay nightclub to finish celebrating in style, all of us. What do you say?"

Elena and Morgana joined their tumblers of wine in celebration while the others cheered.

Merlin cleared his throat noisily. "Perhaps another day, guys," he said, keeping his eyes on Arthur as he took another sip of his beer. "Arthur and I already have plans for tonight."

Those words incited another round of cheers and catcalls, and the boys took turns patting Arthur's back while the girls did something similar to Merlin.

.M.

Arthur grunted as he pumped into Merlin, his hands wandering over the transparent black lace of the bodice that covered his chest. The matching lace panties lay somewhere on the floor of their bedroom where Arthur had tossed it some time ago, but he hadn't let Merlin remove the tight bodice that showed his pectorals.

Merlin had filled up a bit in the past few months, after he’d started exercising regularly with Arthur at the gym. Arthur slid his hands down Merlin's thighs - now considerably thicker with muscles - before holding him by the hip, lifting him up and changing the angle with which he fucked him.

"Uh! Uh!" Merlin moaned as he bit his lower lip, his half-closed eyes - outlined with black - fixed on his. The makeup contrasted with a slightly grown stubble, but it showed the unique shape of his gorgeous lips. "Hmmm..."

"Christ, Merlin," Arthur murmured, bending down to kiss him, tasting the remnants of the lip gloss.

"Don't you dare stop now," Merlin demanded, pushing against him.

Arthur straightened his spine again, resting his hands against Merlin's body to support himself as he resumed rocking into Merlin's tight hole, making Merlin's hair sway with every swoop, the slap of their skins obscenely loud in the otherwise quiet room.

"You look so fucking sexy, Merlin," Arthur said breathlessly, staring at him once more, from his rosy, hard cock contrasting with the black lace of the bodice to the fringe clung to his sweaty forehead.

"Almost there," Merlin said, closing his eyes and craning his neck as he clutched the headboard, his neck and face flushed with blood as he came closer to climaxing.

Arthur kept moving even as his muscles trembled, even as the tightness in his balls intensified, even as Merlin let out a moan that sounded like a whimper. And then Merlin was coming, painting the black bodice with pearly-white stripes, his muscles convulsing around Arthur's cock. Arthur thrusted into him a few more times with abandon before stopping for a moment, pulsing inside Merlin, filling him with his seed, moving slowly until there was nothing left but the pain-pleasure of his spent muscles relaxing.

"Okay," Arthur said, stretching beside Merlin. "From now on, I love birthdays."

Merlin hummed contently and they stood still for a moment, enjoying the post-coital lethargy. Arthur was beginning to wonder if Merlin had fallen asleep when he spoke again, his voice slurred from sleepiness. "It's been a year since we first kissed."

Arthur opened his eyes in surprise. "Really? One more reason for me to like my birthday."

"And speaking of that..." Merlin said, sitting up with a grunt. Arthur rested his head on one arm to watch as he stood, still with his bodice, picking up Arthur's underwear from the floor to clean the inside of his legs off the mess of lube and semen.

"Going somewhere?" Arthur asked, reaching out with one hand to smooth Merlin's waist, mesmerized by the beauty and feel of the lace against his skin.

Merlin looked at him from over his shoulder, grinning before he stood up. "You realize you’ll have to thank Morgana for this, don't you?" He said, pulling off his bodice and tossing it at Arthur. "For this and the other present."

"And who said I want to keep the other present?" Arthur said, scrunching his nose in disdain.

Merlin put his hands on his waist, now completely naked. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Why would I need a vibrating dildo, Merlin?" Arthur sat on the bed. "She was clearly just making fun of me!"

Merlin rolled his eyes, but finally made a gesture of dismissal. "Whatever," he said, finally entering Arthur's closet.

"Do  _ you _ want me to keep that?" Arthur asked incredulously. "Isn't my cock enough? I'm pretty sure it's bigger than that... thing!"

"It's not a matter of-" came Merlin's voice in the other room. "Oh, you know what? Forget it, the present is yours, do as you wish."

Merlin mumbled something else and Arthur suspected he’d heard something like 'I can't believe it' and something to do with jealousy, but before he could ask any questions, Merlin was back with a notebook in his hand and a smile on his face. "Look what I found." 

Merlin sat on the bed next to Arthur, who settled his back against the headboard and accepted the notebook, smiling as he recognized it. "Oh, this! I keep all of them, don't go fancying yourself something special just because-"

"I saw the chocolate coin wrapper." Merlin interrupted him smugly.

Arthur feigned disdain, but flicked to the last page, where it said:

‘ _ Congratulations! Now you’re an older prat! _

_ From your worst intern ever, _

_ Merlin (just so you don’t mistake me for some of your many other interns) _ ’

"You were my first and only intern, Merlin," Arthur said, kissing the top of Merlin's head. He frowned, however, when he realized Merlin didn't seem to have heard him, examining a photo carefully and biting his lower lip. Arthur moved closer to peer over his shoulder, curious.

Merlin approached him instinctively, leaning against his chest so they could look at it together. "I didn't know you had this picture," Merlin's voice sounded slightly muffled.

"The orphanage staff sent it to me the week after we went there, with a thank-you letter attached to it," Arthur clarified, reaching for Merlin's free hand and intertwining their fingers.

"You know," Merlin said thoughtfully, "I think I fell in love with you that day."

"Really?" Arthur asked, nosing into his hair and breathing in the smell of his shampoo.

"I mean, I'd been attracted to you for some time, but... I think I really fell in love when I saw you in the midst of those kids." He turned his face to the side so that their noses almost touched.

Arthur smiled tenderly. "I guess I fell in love with you long before that," Arthur admitted.

Merlin frowned. "When?"

"I don't know." Arthur shrugged. "Since I've laid eyes on you, probably."

Merlin laughed, squeezing his hand. "I'm serious."

"Me too!" Arthur insisted. "I don't know for sure when. I just know I couldn't stop thinking about you from that first day."

Merlin snorted. "I'm sure you couldn't, probably thinking of the next ridiculous chore you’d make me do for you."

"Because you looked cute when you're all hot-blooded," Arthur said and then corrected himself. "You still look cute when you're all hot-blooded."

"And you're still the same asshole as ever."

"But you love me just the same."

"I do." Merlin kissed him gently. "I love you," he repeated.

And damn it, Arthur had to buy an engagement ring ASAP.

.The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ Because of Katie McGrath, of course.
> 
> ² Cristiano Ronaldo, football player for Real Madrid and Portugal, and Ricardo Regufe, Nike Marketing Manager. They’re very close friends in real life and they’re rumored to be a couple.
> 
> **Matthew's notes:** I’m not one to leave notes in other people's fanfiction, but I have to! When I asked for a birthday present, I really didn't expect a fucking book! Lol! And really, guys... it could very well be a book in terms of length if you stop to think about it. Well, even though I wasn't expecting something this long, I’m definitely not complaining, although I didn't think it’d give me so much work to do too! Hahahaha I just wanted to thank Amy for having accepted my challenges and for struggling to meet my wishes and write the very details exactly as I wanted, even though I didn't really tell her exactly what I wanted (or I said, I don't know! I can't remember for sure). Anyway... watch out for more of our partnerships soon! Or not! Hahaha!
> 
> Lots of love for this fandom, lots of love for the author, lots of love for Amy's readers.
> 
> **Amy’s notes:** boy, but this man’s hard to please! And awfully demanding! The creative process of this fic was very interesting, mainly because I was writing and sending it to him and he basically asked to change a lot of things and still suggested another ton of scenes and situations for the future, but I'm happy to say that I have attended to all his requests (at least the initials) except for one that I had to adapt (well, no one is perfect). If I’d do it again? Hell yeah! And I'll probably do it in the future, because that's what friends are made for and I must admit I had a lot of fun writing this one XD.
> 
> Seriously now, Matt, thank you for introducing me to this fandom and for inspiring this fic (and others to come). I never imagined that I could fall as much in love with a ship as I fell in love with merthur and I owe it to you. Thank you **Lexi** , for sticking around till the very end, sacrificing some of your precious time to help this silly Brazilian fanfiction writer who decided she’d venture at translating her work to English even if she sucks at this. I know you're too kind to admit how much of a nuisance I was to you during the most part of a year, but I'm grateful for your help, your patience and your unexpected friendship.
> 
> I’d like to thank **pinkluv10** , who helped me with the translation during her school break and teached me the wonders of Google Translator and teenage slang, also **Nomi** and **RydiaAsuka** who came to our rescue in times of our greatest needs.
> 
> Now for everyone who read and commented and/or left kudos during this long journey, my most sincere thank you. See you around!
> 
> **Lexi's Notes:** I had so much fun editing this! No matter what you may think Amy, you will never be a nuisance! I have to thank Matt, a million times over for asking you to write this btw because otherwise I never would have had the chance to do this and realise my love for editing. 
> 
> I am just as upset at this being over as everyone else is I'm sure. For I am the biggest Amy fan there ever will be! Thank you to **Nomi** and **RydiaAsuka** for covering the few times I was either too busy or not feeling well enough to edit. I was probably way more upset about the times I couldn't do it than Amy was. xD I sincerely hope there will be more in the future and Amy, I will always be available to edit for you no matter how long or short the fic is.
> 
> I had so much fun talking to some of the readers in the comments. I loved reading all of them and seeing how many of you loved Amy's fic as much as I did!
> 
> THANK YOU!!!!!!


End file.
